Question

1. How should we address the shortage of staffing in the long term care industry, specifically nursing facilities?

2. The demand for long-term care services will explode as the population ages and more people live longer with chronic conditions. Who will pay for these services and how will they be delivered?

3. How can we address violence in the long term care industry?

4. How should we address the high cost of services for nursing facilities;

5. What needs to be done to reduce medical errors in nursing facilities?

Answer 1

1.Long term care facilities are growing rapidly, it means increase in the number of patients, but the staff who cares for especially are short on number resulting in shortage of nursing staff.Some of the ways to address this issue are

• Increasing the number of nursing staff by recruitment
• Health educating the general public on basic care needed for a sick individual
• Decreasing the number of inpatient admission by providing care in home with the help of home members
• Involvement of allied nursing professionals
• Increasing certification programmes in healthcare

2.Medicaid pays for this long term care which is a state and federal program. They can be delivered when the patients meets certain criteria like above 65 years,low income group.

3.Some of the ways to address violence in long term care are as following

• A continuous education program in the way how to handle patients
• Following a strict protocol again violence ,zero tolerance to violence in work place
• A stand alone violence prevention program should be initiated
• Patients to be given psychiatric counselling on periodic basis to prevent violent behaviour
• Employees should report violence immediately to their higher authority

4.Some of the ways to address the high cost of services for nursing facility are

• Medicare payment to be reformed fir elderly population on the basus of chronic illness
• Elderly population to be covered under most long term care needs
• Increasing the number of skilled nursing facilities
• Use of supplemental insurance

5.Medical errors in nursing facilities can be reduced in the following way

• Meeting the nursing shortages, and minimising the stress and workload resulting in medical error
• Ensuring proper and regular training
• Follow the nursing facility protocols while administering medication and in care
• Document all the work and incidents