The comparison of long-term care (LTC) expenditures is a difficult task. National LTC systems differ widely in terms of eligibility criteria, level of benefits, institutional variety and regional heterogeneity. In this commentary I will first give some general remarks on cross country comparisons. Then I discuss the role of the informal sector which is the most importan...

LTC and socio-economic deprivation of families are two relevant issues in international debate. The economic or time investment made by caregiving has an impact on the status family members terms means social inclusion. This study analyzes practices that supported home LTC, examining their characteristics, identifying strengths, weaknesses, drivers, barriers, as well innovation aspects. provide...

Abstract In most Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, the government has to manage tension between growth in need long-term care (LTC) services older people significant public budget constraints. Not surprisingly, therefore, cost-containment policies are of increasing relevance. Nevertheless, despite flourishing interest comparative literature reforms sustain...

BACKGROUND In the largest overhaul to Medicare since its creation in 1965, the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 established Part D in 2006 to improve access to essential medication among disabled and older Americans. Despite previous evidence of a positive impact on the general Medicare population, Part D's overall effects on long-term care (LTC) are unknow...

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY Japan introduced a nationwide long-term care insurance (LTCI) system in 2000, making long-term care (LTC) a right for older adults regardless of income and family availability. To shed light on its implications for family caregiving, we investigated perceived filial obligation norms among coresident primary family caregivers before and after the policy change. DESIGN AND ...

This report documents the findings of a mixed-methods study focused on the advanced directives of 182 residents of three LTC facilities in southern Ontario, Canada. Although almost all had a completed advance directive within 3 months of death, most did not have a palliative designation or directive until a few days before they died. Each facility’s written Progress Notes revealed staff members...

We have recently described a modification of the long-term culture-initiating cell (LTC-IC) assay that allows the identification and quantitation of a subset of murine LTC-IC that are able to generate both myeloid and lymphoid progeny in vitro. These "LTC-ICML" are inseparable from either standard LTC-IC or cells with long-term in vivo lympho-myeloid repopulating potential (competitive repopula...

Long-term care (LTC) is an important sector in the healthcare industry; however, the adoption of electronic health record (EHR) systems in LTC facilities lags behind that in other sectors of healthcare. This study examines the adoption and utilization of EHRs in LTC facilities in Texas and identifies the barriers preventing implementation of EHRs. A survey instrument was mailed to all Texas LTC...

Evolving family structure and economic conditions may affect individuals' ability and willingness to plan for future long-term care (LTC) needs. We applied life course constructs to analyze focus group data from a study of family decision making about LTC insurance. Participants described how past exposure to caregiving motivated them to engage in LTC planning; in contrast, child rearing discou...