Long Term Care and the Continuum of Care

Introduction

It is usually a practice of every citizen in every nation’s to prepare for our life for the future especially in the issue about health. All of us want to be sure that after we retire from any work we have, we are secured to any problems especially during our older years we want to be secured no matter what happen to us, no matter what happen to our health, our health care plan is their to help us.

In that issue plenty of the people apply for a health care plan in preparation for their older years to come. In doing that we are already obtaining a chance to have healthy life with out any problems and worries through the help of our health care plan.

This paper will discuss about the following:

• The definitions or the meaning of the continuum of care in health care.
• The services provided by long – term care and how it fits the continuum of care.
• How the services provided by long term care will need to change to meet future needs?

Body of the Paper

The Continuum of Care in health care means “a patient who has an ongoing condition that requires the services of a health care professional on a routine basis for things that the patient is no longer able to do for himself \ herself”(Sandy Sizemore, http;\\ get free tips. info\ long = term care). This continuum of care can be applicable to those patients who are physically ill, patients who are seriously ill that they can’t do any things alone. And in that situations they need somebody to assets or to watch them in their daily routine.

“Continuum of Care in health care as a whole can be characterized by a sequence or progression of minute degrees of caring and managing” (Mary E. S. Indritz, http;\\www.amcp.org\data\jmcp\vol3\num5\examining.html). In this kind of care the patient is totally dependent to the services given by the health care giver and some professionals who will be the one for managing the suited care that the patient needs.

In the long term care some of the services provide for the patients are the following: Preparing and planning the patient’s meals, taking care of their personal hygiene, it includes their proper dressing, do the household chores including shopping and paper works if needed, and any medical needs that the patients should undergo.

Some services included in the long term care are what we called “assisted living” or the in – home and nursing home facilities. Assisted Living sittings are applicable for a patient who has his \ her own apartment or quarters where the patient lives with the caregivers or some medical professionals that can tend to their needs as much as possible or anytime if it is needed by the patient. In this kind off care the care giver will be the direct companion or the assistance of the patient in times of their needs.

The services provided by the continuum care in health care is the continuation of the services started by the long term care plan for the patients. In this kind of services will be applied to those patients who can’t do anything for themselves. And they need caregivers and medical professionals to manage their daily routine and to care for them in the absence of the immediate family of the patients.

In the long term plan services, there are some services that need to be given more attention by the medical professionals concern. They should be more skillful and better trained for the work assigned to them. Especially in handling health care to the patients it needs more knowledge, must be professionally trained, patient, committed, and dedicated to their area of concern to satisfy the medical needs of the patients. And to be more update of the latest medical changes to meet the needs of the people who have health plans in the future.

Conclusion

Generally, the continuum of care in health care is the combination of caring and managing of an inpidual. It is the duty of the caregivers or the medical professionals to give the proper care to the patients under his \ her supervision. It includes the correct management of the life of the patients in the absence of the concern families.

Assigning caregivers and medical professionals to attend to their older parents and relatives are the practice in some of the nations worldwide. They get health plans to take care of their patients

In this long term care plan they give services to the patients who can’t do any for himself \ herself they can be their caregivers and can be also their companion who are willing to give them care and understanding they need in their lives. Long term plan can be a continuum health care plan for the patients who really need it.

Lastly, as human beings all of us needs health care plans. We can’t tell when we have good health and when we are ill. In preparing for that we are obliged to get plans for our health because it is so important for our security and for our older days in the future.

References

• Campbell WH, Newsome LA. (1995) the Evolution of Managed Care and Practice Sittings. Retrieved February 9, 2007
• Indritz Mary E.S, Examining the Managed health Care Continuum, Retrieved February 10, 2007
• Sizemore Sandy, the Facts You Need To Know About Long Term Care, Retrieved February 10, 2007