Thursday, October 28, 2010

The Future of Long-Term Care!

Dale Thompson and Becky Urbanski, of Benedictine Health Systems, published an article in the Catholic Health Association’s magazine, “Health Progress” last year that sounds the call for the future of healthcare in the US. We’ve have included an excerpt here for your reading pleasure!


Leaders in health care are bracing for the impending “Large wave” — the large group of aging adults of the baby boomer generation who will enter health care systems in ever larger numbers in the next 20 to 30 years. Unsurprisingly, these men and women, accustomed as they are to shaping change and progress over the past four decades, harbor heightened expectations for their health care and lifestyles as they age and are likely to have significant effects on the way health care services are delivered. It is clear, for instance, that boomers expect to continue to participate and contribute to society and enjoy life, preferably at home. For the most they are expected to demand continuation of their current living arrangements with adjustments for ability as needs arise. Eventually, though, many will enter long-term care facilities, and there too, they are expected to require innovative care. Their needs and desires, combined with a strong desire on the part of religious sponsors to see their ministries continue well into the future, pose pressing challenges for delivery of health care across the spectrum and are prompting long-term care facilities to look ahead and think creatively. For those in the field, heads are often spinning.

Please click the link below to access the entire article:

http://www.chausa.org/WorkArea/linkit.aspx?LinkIdentifier=id&ItemID=6406