The COVID-19 pandemic supercharged in-home care in the U.S.
Medicare and other payers need to be building on that foundation, not chipping away at it, to achieve a broader set of home-based care options for patients, which provide them and their families with better outcomes, better quality of life, sustained independence, and lower costs.
In addition to reminding us of the high cost of long-term care, the COVID pandemic has exposed shortcomings in how we manage the care itself, including the quality of facilities, quantity of beds, scheduling of staff and a lack of commitment to improving the system. Long-term care reform must be at the top of the federal government's policy agenda if we as a society are to allow people to age with dignity and well-being. Reform should emphasize expanding coverage and strengthening connections with the broader health care and public health systems in order to create equity. A 2021 report by four leading researchers details this, and other advocates of long-term care reform agree with it.
As Nova Scotia deals with an unusually hot summer, Wayne King says a lack of air conditioning in rooms at a long-term care facility in the province is dangerous for residents and staff. King told CBC Radio's Information Morning on Friday that he learned from an administrator at the Musquodoboit Valley Home for Special Care in Middle Musquodoboit, N.S., that a recently released "directive" banned the use of window-installed AC units in resident rooms.
A concerning trend in nursing care in Montana may offer a glimpse of what's to come in Wyoming. Seven nursing homes have closed in Montana, which represents about 10% of its nursing home beds. "There are a few others in Montana that have voiced their concerns about their long-term financial sustainability," said Nicole Hobbs, vice president of regional operations for Billings Clinic, at the Powell Valley Healthcare Board of Directors meeting in July. Eric Boley, president of the Wyoming Hospital Association and Leading Age Wyoming, which represents about two-thirds of nursing homes in Wyoming, said the problems that are impacting nursing homes in Montana are challenges Wyoming facilities are also facing, including staffing shortages and Medicaid reimbursement rates that don’t cover the full cost of care.
When I chose to pursue a career in health care, I knew about the popular career paths like working in a hospital or an emergency room. I thought I would be working with infants and children as a pediatrician but after completing my clinicals at a long-term care facility, I found that caring for the elderly is my lifelong passion. There is so much to enjoy about working as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) in a long-term care facility. I have learned a lot about medicine, and even more about life.