[ANSWERED 2023] Given the increasing longevity of Americans and the costs of providing long-term care, anticipation of the costs should be a major element of every family's financial planning. Current information suggests however, that very few families or individuals give this consideration.

Last Updated on March 3, 2023 by Admin

Given the increasing longevity of Americans and the costs of providing long-term care, anticipation of the costs should be a major element of every family’s financial planning

Given the increasing longevity of Americans and the costs of providing long-term care, anticipation of the costs should be a major element of every family's financial planning

Assignment Description:

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Given the increasing longevity of Americans and the costs of providing long-term care, anticipation of the costs should be a major element of every family’s financial planning. Current information suggests however, that very few families or individuals give this consideration. What factors might impede this advance planning? What measures might be effective in raising awareness among Americans about this important matter?
Identify the major factors that have resulted in the shift in utilization from inpatient hospitalization to ambulatory care services. What are the implications of this shift for hospitals, consumers, and the health care delivery system as a whole?
The recipients of mental health services in the US represent only a small percentage of those in need of services. Discuss the factors that impede access to mental illness treatment.
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Please submit one APA formatted paper between 1000 – 1500 words, not including the title and reference page. The assignment should have a minimum of two (2) scholarly sources, in addition to the textbook.

M3 Assignment UMBO – 2
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Expert Answer and Explanation

Addressing Solutions to Health Issues

American health system is experiencing changes in terms of population health care needs, and medical care delivery models providers use, and impediments to the advance planning for care, as well as to access to mental health care threaten this system. Reflecting on the past population trends in the United States (U.S.), the number of seniors is likely to growth in the next decade. This will require families to financially plan for unfavorable health events linked to the old age.

To meet the rising health care needs, providers are shifting from the conventional delivery approaches to models such as ambulatory services which help save lives and decongest health facilities (Sultz & Young, 2017). Despite these efforts to improve accessibility to care, mental health patients face difficulties accessing mental health care, and this is mainly because of the negative connotations people attach on mental health disorders . Thus, this study explores these needs, healthcare delivery models, and challenges of access to care.

Impediments to Advance Planning

Majority of families tend to have concerns on the financial implications of the long-term care for the elderly, and this is a key factor that impedes advance planning. American families perceive this type of care as unaffordable, and some feel that it emphasizes more on institutional care rather than patient-centered care. Other reason these families cite include the idea that it provides inadequate access as well as choice, and the quality of care delivered is not per the required quality.

Some Americans have trust issues with the existing public funding schemes, and they feel that these programs may not provide benefits that cover costs. Reflecting on these key issues, majority of families do not see the need to plan for the long term care (Dummies, 2014). However, some families have inadequate knowledge of the importance of the planning for long term care. Due to this lack of adequate knowledge, families fail to financially plan for care.

Awareness Measures

Considering that the concerns related to the planning for access to longer term care result from inadequate public knowledge, creating awareness measures can help change perceptions families have on this form of care. The campaign has to target families across social and cultural spectrums. Considering that majority of Americans use social media, rolling out a campaign targeting social media users can help sensitive individuals on the benefits of planning for long-term care.

This type of sensitization has to be modeled in such a way that it reaches people of different cultures and languages who are part of the American society (Dummies, 2014). Another option is to use the television (TV) media to help educate individuals on the benefits linked to this type of care. This seems to be an effective option for the American families considering that majority of these families watch TVs. However, public information roadshows can also help advance the sensitization objectives.

Factors Driving the Shift towards Ambulatory Services

Various factors contribute to the current changes in the health care delivery models where emphasis on the use of the ambulatory services rather than the inpatient models is growing. Costs, for instance, drive this shift, and this plays out where an ambulatory center is established in areas where providers feel that they are likely to spend less on operations. The change in the way patients prefer to access care is another contributor to this shift from the conventional health delivery models.

For some patients, ambulatory centers are not only accessible but are also convenient. Access to physician support is another factor that contributes to the new developments experienced in the health care delivery. With partnership between physicians and these facilities, patients have access to the referral opportunities. More Americans are opting to go for treatment in ambulatory centers because these facilities treat chronic health conditions (Büyükdurmus et al., 2017). Access to care for patients with chronic diseases offers convenience, and assures patient of fast access to care.

Conduct a literature search to locate a journal article related to the health or health care practices of African American, European American, or Appalachian people

Implications of the Shift to Ambulatory Services

The move towards the ambulatory care will have significant ramifications that would affect hospital organizations, consumers of health care, and systems used to deliver health. Already, these changes are affecting the approach hospital facilities are undertaking to address health care issues. Currently, hospitals are renovating their emergency departments to improve access to outpatient clinical services. These new developments in the delivery of care also have implications on the consumers of health services.

Rather than seek for care in hospitals which provide inpatient care, consumers will largely rely on the ambulatory facilities to access care, and this will likely lead to the decongestion of hospitals with patients, culminating to more improved quality of care for patients (Büyükdurmus et al., 2017). Considering that the shortage of the clinical facilities has made it difficult for providers to meet the rising demand, an increase in the number of ambulatory facilities will improve access to medical services, resulting to reduced demand and improved care quality.

Impediments to Access to Mental Health Care

For some patients as well as families, access to mental health care can be an exhausting experience due to the challenges associated with this access. Generally, people attach stigma to mental health issues, and depending on the culture and beliefs of the patients or their families, seeking for treatment can be non-option. Lack of access to care for this group of patients could also emanate from the social issues such as lack of access to opportunities because of one’s racial background.

In the U.S., the disparity in access to care, is an issue of concern, and this problem manifests in how the country deals with mental health cases (Mutsatsa, 2015). Besides, some patients are limited by financial ability, and because of the financial difficulties, some prefer not to seek for care. This explains why the prevalence of the mental health issues is higher in poor neighborhoods compared to middle-class communities.

Conclusion

In overview, although the new health delivery models are shaping how people access health services, the American health system still grapples with the challenge of addressing mental health issues. While long term care programs are intended to address the rising health needs linked to the aging population, the concerns families have on this care make it difficult for them to plan for care. Because this issue can threaten senior’s capacity to access social support, it is imperative that the public become sensitized on the importance of having a financial plan that will ensure their elder kin receive care.

In a society where the population is aging, the need for new delivery approaches such as the ambulatory services arises. With ambulatory programs, consumers have access to expanded care, culminating to reduced demand for clinical services. However, issues such as lack of access to mental health, for some patients, negates the efforts focused on delivering inclusive care to patients.

References

Büyükdurmus, T., Kopetsch, T., Schmitz, H., & Tauchmann, H. (2017). On the interdependence of ambulatory and hospital care in the German health system. Health economics review, 7(1), 2. doi:10.1186/s13561-016-0132-4.

Dummies, C. (2014). Planning For Long-Term Care For Dummies. Hoboken: Wiley.

Mutsatsa, S. (2015). Physical healthcare and promotion in mental health nursing. Los Angeles : SAGE/Learning Matters.

Sultz, H. A., & Young, K. A. (2017). Health care USA: Understanding its organization and delivery (9th ed.). Boston: Jones & Bartlett. (Chapters 5, 9, and 10).

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