The SCAN Foundation released today six fact sheets compiling national figures that provide basic information on some of the most important issues surrounding long-term care.
Long-term care refers to a broad range of services that support people with limitations in their ability to care for themselves due to a physical, cognitive, or chronic health condition that is expected to continue for an extended period of time. These disabling conditions may be inherited or acquired, result from an underlying health condition or arise from a condition present at birth.
An individual needing long-term care services generally requires assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs)— including bathing, dressing, eating, transferring, and walking; or instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs)—including meal preparation, house cleaning, and medication management— regardless of the cause of their disability.
Each easy-to-use fact sheet presents a critical long-term care issue, highlights main points in bulleted format and provides a comprehensive list of citations.
Themes include:
- Demographic & Economic Characteristics of an Aging Population
- Who Needs and Who Uses Long-Term Care?
- Growing Demand for Long-Term Care
- Where is Long-Term Care Provided?
- Who Provides Long-Term Care?
- Who Pays for Long-Term Care?
The SCAN Foundation will revise the fact sheets regularly as updated information becomes available.
"This is the first set in a series of fact sheets that provide basic information on the 'who, what, when, where, why and how' of long-term care from a national perspective," said Bruce Chernof, president and CEO of The SCAN Foundation. "We hope these fact sheets are used as handy tools by policymakers, researchers, and students alike."
Forthcoming fact sheets will highlight long-term care facts and figures for California.