Changing Health Care For An Aging Society

As the first of the nation's 78 million baby boomers begin reaching age 65 in 2011, they will face a health care workforce that is too small and woefully unprepared to meet their specific health needs. Retooling for an Aging America calls for bold initiatives starting immediately to train all health care providers in the basics of geriatric care and to prepare family members and other informal caregivers, who currently receive little or no training in how to tend to their aging loved ones. The book also recommends that Medicare, Medicaid, and other health plans pay higher rates to boost recruitment and retention of geriatric specialists and care aides. Educators and health professional groups can use Retooling for an Aging America to institute or increase formal education and training in geriatrics. Consumer groups can use the book to advocate for improving the care for older adults. Health care professional and occupational groups can use it to improve the quality of health care jobs.

Hospitals and nursing homes are responding to changes in the health care system by modifying staffing levels and the mix of nursing personnel. But do these changes endanger the quality of patient care? Do nursing staff suffer increased rates of injury, illness, or stress because of changing workplace demands? These questions are addressed in Nursing Staff in Hospitals and Nursing Homes, a thorough and authoritative look at today's health care system that also takes a long-term view of staffing needs for nursing as the nation moves into the next century. The committee draws fundamental conclusions about the evolving role of nurses in hospitals and nursing homes and presents recommendations about staffing decisions, nursing training, measurement of quality, reimbursement, and other areas. The volume also discusses work-related injuries, violence toward and abuse of nursing staffs, and stress among nursing personnelâ€"and examines whether these problems are related to staffing levels. Included is a readable overview of the underlying trends in health care that have given rise to urgent questions about nurse staffing: population changes, budget pressures, and the introduction of new technologies. Nursing Staff in Hospitals and Nursing Homes provides a straightforward examination of complex and sensitive issues surround the role and value of nursing on our health care system.

It is not news that each of us grows old. What is relatively new, however, is that the average age of the American population is increasing. More and better information is required to assess, plan for, and meet the needs of a graying population. The Aging Population in the Twenty-First Century examines social, economic, and demographic changes among the aged, as well as many health-related topics: health promotion and disease prevention; quality of life; health care system financing and use; and the quality of careâ€"especially long-term care. Recommendations for increasing and improving the data availableâ€"as well as for ensuring timely access to themâ€"are also included.

Family caregiving affects millions of Americans every day, in all walks of life. At least 17.7 million individuals in the United States are caregivers of an older adult with a health or functional limitation. The nation's family caregivers provide the lion's share of long-term care for our older adult population. They are also central to older adults' access to and receipt of health care and community-based social services. Yet the need to recognize and support caregivers is among the least appreciated challenges facing the aging U.S. population. Families Caring for an Aging America examines the prevalence and nature of family caregiving of older adults and the available evidence on the effectiveness of programs, supports, and other interventions designed to support family caregivers. This report also assesses and recommends policies to address the needs of family caregivers and to minimize the barriers that they encounter in trying to meet the needs of older adults.

First published in 1989. In an aging society, however, the challenge broadens to include health care and social support at home and in the community. The major premise of this book is that cost-conscious community care and self-care will become increasingly important as the era of cost containment intensifies.

Students and practitioners will find Public Health for an Aging Society an invaluable resource both in the workplace and the classroom.

Emerging and currently available technologies offer great promise for helping older adults, even those without serious disabilities, to live healthy, comfortable, and productive lives. What technologies offer the most potential benefit? What challenges must be overcome, what problems must be solved, for this promise to be fulfilled? How can federal agencies like the National Institute on Aging best use their resources to support the translation from laboratory findings to useful, marketable products and services? Technology for Adaptive Aging is the product of a workshop that brought together distinguished experts in aging research and in technology to discuss applications of technology to communication, education and learning, employment, health, living environments, and transportation for older adults. It includes all of the workshop papers and the report of the committee that organized the workshop. The committee report synthesizes and evaluates the points made in the workshop papers and recommends priorities for federal support of translational research in technology for older adults.

This is a comprehensive graduate textbook focusing on the full spectrum of long-term care settings ranging from family and community-based care through supportive housing options to a variety of institutional long-term care alternatives. Integrating theory and practice, the book features the perspectives of diverse fields regarding current long-term care options and new directions for the future. Prominent scholars from history, environmental design, family caregiving, social service delivery, clinical care, health service delivery, public policy, finance, law, and ethics explore such themes as: Relationships among independence, dependence, and interdependence Ethical considerations woven into the provision of long-term care Decision-making in long-term care Fluidity in long-term care The lived experience of long-term care A micro-macro perspective ranging from the individual to societal institutions The book examines future directions for long-term care, considering such factors as the interface of technology and long-term care, cultural diversity, and relationships between voluntary and paid services. Each chapter includes case examples, study questions, and exercises, additional resources, and website links. An extensive glossary of terms is also provided, as well as instructor’s resources are also available. Key Features: Focuses on the full array of long-term care options Integrates theory and practice Incorporates the perspectives of diverse fields including history, environmental design, family caregiving, social services, public policy, etc. Includes numerous case examples, study questions, exercises, and additional resources Considers new approaches to long-term care, incorporating technology and considering cultural diversity and voluntary vs. paid services About the Authors: Graham D. Rowles, PhD, is Founding Director of the Graduate Center for Gerontology and Chair of the Department of Gerontology, University of Kentucky. He is also Professor of Gerontology with joint appointments in Nursing, Behavioral Science, Geography and Health Behavior. An environmental gerontologist, his research focuses on the lived experience of aging. A central theme of this work is exploration, employing qualitative methodologies of the changing relationship between older adults and their environments with advancing age, and the implications of this relationship for health, wellbeing and environmental design. He has conducted in-depth ethnographic research with elderly populations in urban (inner city), rural (Appalachian), and nursing facility environments. Recent research includes leadership of the Kentucky Elder Readiness Initiative (KERI), a statewide project to explore the implications for communities of the aging of the Baby Boom cohort. His publications include Prisoners of Space? and six co-edited volumes, in addition to more than 60 book chapters and articles. He is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America and the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education and currently serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Applied Gerontology and Journal of Housing for the Elderly. Dr. Rowles is Past National President of Sigma Phi Omega, Past President of the Southern Gerontological Society, Past President of the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education, and is currently Chair of the Commonwealth of Kentucky Institute on Aging. Pamela B. Teaster, PhD, is Associate Director for Research, Center for Gerontology, and Professor, Department of Human Development, Virginia Tech University. She established the Kentucky Justice Center for Elders and Vulnerable Adults and is the first President of the Kentucky Guardianship Association. Dr. Teaster is Secretary General of the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse. She served as Director and Chairperson of the Graduate Center for Gerontology/Department of Gerontology as well as the Director of Doctoral Studies and Associate Dean for Research for College of Public Health at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Teaster serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect. She is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America and the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education, a recipient of the Rosalie Wolf Award for Research on Elder Abuse, the Outstanding Affiliate Member Award (Kentucky Guardianship Association), and the Distinguished Educator Award (Kentucky Association for Gerontology). She has received funding from The Retirement Research Foundation, Administration on Aging, National Institute on Aging, Kentucky Cabinet for Families and Children, National Institute of Justice, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Health Resources and Services Administration, and the Office of Victims of Crime. She is the author of over 100 peer-reviewed articles, reports, books, and book chapters.