Useful Resources
Long-Term Care: Multiple Concerns
October 02, 2008
About 70 percent of the elderly will require some type of long-term care services during their lifetimes, and more than 40 percent will need nursing home care. At any given time, about 1.5 million people live in one of the nation's 15,000 nursing homes. Nursing homes are heavily regulated by the federal and state governments, which pay for about two-thirds of all residents through the Medicaid and, to a lesser extent, Medicare programs (pricetag: $75 billion a year.) Assisted living, however, is governed by different rules in each state and is generally paid for with private dollars. In the future, financing care for Baby Boomers will be a challenge, since most people don't buy long-term care insurance. For-profit corporations own about two-thirds of all nursing homes and report a higher average number of licensing deficiencies than homes owned by nonprofit organizations.
Resource Links
Statistics, Trends and Research
List of average prices of levels of care, including nursing, assisted living and in-home help for all 50 states.
The California Health Care Foundation provides an overview of the long-term care landscape in California
For-profit company rates and tracks nursing homes. Charges a fee for reports. Some of this information is available for free from other sources, such as Medicare.
This site highlights good and bad nursing homes for each state, based on federal data. The site was created by a doctor concerned about poor quality.
Medicare's assessment of each nursing home, including scores on quality measures and findings from annual state inspections; searchable by name and location. More detailed results of inspections are available by request from Medicare or state health agencies.
Prepared by the largest trade group of nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
Beds, costs and use, pulled together by national association of nonprofit providers.
Latest federal data, but usually a bit dated.
Understanding Long-Term Care
A California independent state oversight committee's report provides good background on long-term care in California and the progress that's been made. It focuses largely on residential care facilities for the elderly because that is the major growth area in long-term care.
From AARP's Public Policy Institute.
Federal guide aimed at consumers.
This guide is aimed at consumers, but serves as a good primer on the types of care available.
Public Policy
The CHCF offers two reports from 2002 on residential care facilities for the elderly that are still relevant and helpful.
This coalition of 11 professional associations and nonprofits issues regular reports on key issues.
Focused on federal policy issues.
Links to federal and state assisted-living policy issues.
Staffing, neglect, fire safety and quality improvement are among these advocates' top priorities.
The section on long-term care and chronic care focuses on cost, quality and the need for change – all at the state level.
The section on long-term care and chronic care focuses on cost, quality and the need for change – all at the state level.
Blogs
Matthew G. Maupin, an Illinois nursing home administrator, on issues large and small.
Frances Shani Parker, who volunteered in nursing homes, offers information interspersed with plugs for her book.
Guidance for Consumers
Association of advocacy groups, elder law attorneys and others promoting choice and safety; links to state information; formed in 2007.
Consumer-based organization; useful FAQs.
Focus on the elderly poor; publishes "20 Common Nursing Home Problems and How to Resolve Them."
Advocacy
Alliance for Health Reform policy brief with overview, sources and weblinks.
Movement, aided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, to establish small, home-like nursing facilities scattered in communities.
A coalition of providers and family members working to "reinvent" nursing homes.
The granddaddy of reform initiatives, aimed at making the nursing home experience less institutional; adopted by hundreds of homes.
Grass-roots campaign against abuse and neglect in long-term-care facilities focuses on employees who were sex offenders or have criminal records.
This nonprofit provides information on California long-term-care facilities of all kinds, as well as policy issues and legal guidance; fact sheets on how to choose and evaluate a facility.
The professional association of assisted living facilities offers a consumer checklist for evaluating facilities.
Trade group for nonprofit nursing homes, assisted living residences, adult day services, home health and community programs.
Full of resources for reporters and consumers, including links to ombudsmen in each state, recent studies and policy issues.
Federation of state organizations representing nursing home and assisted living providers, both for-profit and nonprofit; the largest trade organization.
