With advances in medicine and improved living standards more people are living longer, and with an aging population comes an increased burden of chronic conditions and functional limitations. As patients develop more complex, chronic conditions coupled with functional decline, it becomes increasingly challenging to manage their daily lives successfully at home, where most people want to remain. They and their families are juggling multiple conditions, multiple care teams, and complicated medication regimens. Forty-five million Americans are living with one or more chronic conditions and are experiencing functional limitations. They want to stay at home, if possible, but many are not getting the kind of care they need.
June’s special issue of Health Affairs, sponsored by the foundation, examines how we can best provide care in the community for people with serious illness, with a focus on the workforce needed. The workforce caring for these patients includes the health care team (physicians, nurses, plus social workers, mental health professionals, palliative care professionals, and more), plus the direct care workers providing support in the home, plus the family caregivers who play a critical role in caring for loved ones. This issue provides a comprehensive look at the latest research, including emerging issues, and gaps, focusing on the workforce composition and competencies needed to provide the high-quality care that enables people to live safely and comfortably at home.
“The United States will experience significant growth of the population older than age 65 in the coming decades, which will contribute to an increase in the number of people living with chronic and serious illness in the community. Field experts, policy makers and health care leaders have identified the lack of an adequately prepared workforce as a critical barrier to delivering high quality, community-based care for this population.” – Health Affairs blog by Joanne Spetz and Nancy Dudley
The full special issue of Health Affairs (June) is available online free of charge.
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