In particular, older people needing long-term care are highly likely to have chronic illnesses that require ongoing medical management. Older people with disabilities use about twice as much Medicare money per person as does the general population of Medicare beneficiaries. Thus, thinking about long-term care and acute as alternatives to each other is inaccurate and counterproductive. Far more public money is spent on nursing home care than any other form of care. These imbalances need correction.
Personal care is the bedrock of long-term care services.
It needs to be available around the clock every day of the week. The biggest deficit in long-term care in America is the lack of a dependable capability for personal care services across the country. The good LTC system has options. Consumer choice is an empty slogan if there is no menu to choose from. These options should include a wide range of ways to get services in one's own home and a wide range of residential settings where services can be efficiently received.