Listening to the Voices of Long-Term Care

As society ages long-term care services will not only become more competitive but clients will also be more demanding. Health care professionals need to thoroughly understand seniors and their needs just as administrators need to understand the motivations and challenges of their staff. This work provides insight into the needs of primary clients (aging individuals and their families) while recognizing the unique characteristics of core staff (nursing assistants and nurses). Each chapter presents the voices of essential individuals within long-term care organizations from the seniors who use services to the administrators who develop and manage them. Through these voices readers glimpse a typical day in a nursing home assisted living facility and home care agency. The characteristics and needs of all stakeholders in long-term care are analyzed from interviews and workplace observations. Never before has a collection of study results been collated to provide a rich intimate portrait of the vital aspects of long-term care. Listening to the Voices of Long-Term Care addresses the humanity behind these services and prepares readers to provide more sensitive responsive assistance to their clients.