Long Term Care For The Elderly In Florida

Florida has the largest proportion of elderly in the nation- 2.8 million persons are over age 65, representing 17.6% of its total population. The dramatic rise in the number of persons age 65 and over in Florida over the next 20 years-estimated to total 26.3% of total population-will further stretch the already limited resources of the state. Aware of the pressing demand for long-term care services well into the 21 * century, policymakers in Florida have begun seriously to review options for improving financing and delivery of long-term care for the frail elderly and persons with disabilities. Federal and state Medicaid spending in Florida was $2.6 billion in FY2001, and 30.5% of Medicaid spending was for long-term care. In FY2001, 75.3% of total Medicaid spending was for institutional care. Slightly less than 25% of Medicaid spending was channeled towards home and community-based services. Although institutional care dominated Medicaid spending, there has been slow but steady expansion of home and community-based services funding, both through the use of Medicaid's waiver programs as well as significant support through state sources. Among the major issues facing long-term care in Florida are: the fragmentation of long-term care services among state and local agencies, an imbalance in financing that favors institutional care rather than home and community based care, shortage of health care workers and well-trained staff throughout the long-term care , and disparities in availability of services across the state.

Among the issues confronting America is long-term care for frail, older persons and others with chronic conditions and functional limitations that limit their ability to care for themselves. Improving the Quality of Long-Term Care takes a comprehensive look at the quality of care and quality of life in long-term care, including nursing homes, home health agencies, residential care facilities, family members and a variety of others. This book describes the current state of long-term care, identifying problem areas and offering recommendations for federal and state policymakers. Who uses long-term care? How have the characteristics of this population changed over time? What paths do people follow in long term care? The committee provides the latest information on these and other key questions. This book explores strengths and limitations of available data and research literature especially for settings other than nursing homes, on methods to measure, oversee, and improve the quality of long-term care. The committee makes recommendations on setting and enforcing standards of care, strengthening the caregiving workforce, reimbursement issues, and expanding the knowledge base to guide organizational and individual caregivers in improving the quality of care.