Quality of Long Term Care Institutions
Mohamed Hamed
HLAD 307W
Professor Susan Stunlund

Abstract
The satisfaction of a person living in a long­term care institution is very important.
What is so important about this is the fact that these are places people go to spend the rest of their life until it’s over. Some don’t have a choice because they are terminally ill or are dying of old age. They may not get a choice in wither they have to be a nursing home but they do get a choice in which nursing home they get to stay at. When a person looks for a place where they want to spend the rest of their life, the quality of that place is very important. When I say quality I am talking about the quality of the cost, the quality of the people employed there and the overall quality of the care. The quality of care and the quality of life are the most important parts of choosing a place to live at.

Quality of Long­Term Care Institutions
Long­term care refers to a continuum of medical and social services designed to support the needs of people living with chronic health problems that affect their ability to perform everyday activities. Long­term care institutions can vary from independent homes, to assisted living homes, and further to nursing homes. With all the different types of long term care facilities available it’s hard to decide which one is right for a person or persons grandparents or parents. The most important factor to look at is the quality of the long­term care available.
When a person looks at the quality they are looking at the cost, the employees, and the overall quality of the care being received which is what will soon be discussed here.
Types of Long­Term Care Available
To start I find it easier to first go over the different types of long term care that is available. Most long term care is provided at home but it can be provided other places. First, there is home care services. These can include an unpaid caregiver who may be a family member or friend, or a nurse, home health or home care aide, and/or therapist who comes to the home. That is usually the easiest way to get long term care but it can be costly. Next is Community support services. What this involves is adult day care service centers, transportation services, and home care agencies that provide services on a daily basis or as needed. These services usually are used at home and give the family caregiver

time off. Outside the home, there are a variety of facility­based programs that are used for long term care. Nursing homes provide the most comprehensive range of services, including nursing care and 24­hour supervision. They are usually used for people that can hardly do anything on their own anymore. Other facility­based choices include assisted living, board and care homes, and continuing care retirement communities. Basically those are the choices for long­term care.
Misconception of Quality and Cost
When people look for a good new home that can help them with their daily life activities they usually look at the cost. The misconception of that is that people believe that the more a place costs, the better the quality will be. That isn’t always the case though. Sometimes the cost means they have a nicer facility, which can be a plus, but it doesn’t always mean that the employees that take care of you are good or qualified or care enough. The hard truth is that living in long­term care institutions can be costly. Some average costs for long­term care in the United States (in 2010) according to “Longtermcare.gov” (2010) were:
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$205 per day or $6,235 per month for a semi­private room in a nursing home ▪

$229 per day or $6,965 per month for a private room in a nursing home

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$3,293 per month for care in an assisted living facility (for a one­bedroom

unit)
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$21 per hour for a home health aide

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$19 per hour for homemaker services
$67 per day for services in an adult day health care center