First Case
In this paperwork, I am going to discuss a case study, whereby, I will be giving my recommendations for Ruth condition and giving the appropriate living environment that I believe will have the greatest likelihood of success. I will also include what modern research say about the practice regarding the long term care for the elderly. The case consists of the following main characters; Ruth- Beth’s step mother who was a retired beautician, and Beth.
According to the case, Ruth is described as being unsympathetic and unbearable towards Beth, hence creating a good environment for the establishment and growth of hate between them. Ruth hates her stepmother to the extent that she can hold a face to face communication with her. According to the case, we learn that Ruth was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa that would leave her blind in the next one year or two. The situation was too serious that she had to quit her job at the beauty shop. Ruth was slowly going blind and this led to her driving license being revoked, since she did not pass the eye test. Ruth is also described as being financially insecure-she did not, even, meet the funeral expenses.
Ruth is an elderly lady who was going blind and the following recommendations would work well for her such as hiring a live –in companion, finding a good retirement community, or moving in with a close relative or friend. The first two recommendations would be next to impossible to achieve, since both Ruth and Beth had little savings, hence it would require them more than what they already have, hence it would be realistic adopted these recommendations. The best recommendation would be for Ruth to move to the city with Beth, since she is the only relative left. Ruth living with Beth would break her loneliness, since she would have a chance to socialize with Beth’s family and friends. It is also a fact that other issues, such as stress would be significantly reduced, thereby, keeping her eyesight active for a long period, even, more than two years. According to the case, we learn that Ruth had a negative perception regarding nursing homes. She describes her friends, who were leaving in nursing homes, as frequently falling ill and some became old at a shocking rate. They had gone to kill the issue on loneliness, but ended up getting old before their time. Ruth argues that having someone do everything for you and treat you like you are old can quickly age someone. It is, therefore, a fact that she could not willingly accept this idea-nursing home. It is important to note that both Ruth and Beth have some issues to solve- the hate that exists between them. They both need psychotherapy for sorrow, loss, and relation building. The best place to seek for advice, so as to solve the issues that exist between them, would be visiting a religious group. The environment, Beth’s’ home, would have the best positive impacts on Ruth live, although it is important to note that Ruth too has the right of making he own decisions. Beth must also discuss with Tim before taking this important decision, since it can have severe consequences, such as family break up. According to their financial status, it would be advisable to sell the house so as to pay for the long-term care for the elderly.
It is important to note that the modern researchers have recognized the importance of the long term care for the elderly. The practice has been conducting research and implementing policies with the objective of identifying both the financing and delivery approaches that optimize superiority of care, value of life, and cost endings. The move, by the program, of coming up or including a federal backed option with the objective of providing premium paid coverage for community and home will play a significant role in ensuring that the living care in the long term care strategies for the elderly is met in future. It is estimated that the population of people over 65 will rise by 5.7 percent, while those, but the largest development in the number of elderly is anticipated to happen between 2010 and 2025, hence the importance of a federally backed option. It is important to note that more hat 6 million people over 65 need long term care and by 2040, it is estimated that the number will have increased to 21 million, hence the need to look for more source of funds, so as to meet this need by that time (U.S. Census Bureau, 2009).
Modern research has noted that most of the people do not save enough to cover long-term care, and only a minority has long-term care insurance , for example Ruth case, hence limiting the efficiency of this practice.
References
Long-term care for the elderly, by Robyn Stone, urban institute press (ISBN 978-0-87766-770-4)
Abaya, C.(n.d.). The sandwich generation. Retrieved from
http://www.thesandwichgeneration.com/.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2009). An aging world: 2008. Retrieved from
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/release/archives/aging-population/013988.html.
