Long-Term Care

Long-term care has an important role in ensuring that the elderly receive care and support that enhance their health and wellness. Long-term care refers to the care that caregivers provide to persons who need help due to their reduced functional capacity . Many elderly people are need of long-term care today. Often, long-term caregivers render long-term care to the elderly either at home or in specialized institutions. The issue of long-term has gained significant importance to countries in developed and developing world. However, the needs of these countries, as well as their challenges differ. With focus on the long-term care of United States and that of Thailand, a developing country, it is evident that these countries display vast differences

The number of consumers of long-term care between the United States and Thailand differ considerably. In the United States, approximately 12 million people need healthcare because many of them are over the age of 65 years, the age where citizens quality for state funder long-term care (). On the other hand, about 5.2 % of Thailand populations were receiving long-term care in the year 2000.These measures are not static, but an aging population is increasing these numbers every day. Statistics indicate that the United States will consumers of long-term care will double within the next 30 years. For Thailand, consumers of long-term care are likely to shoot to 11% in around 2025. This trend indicates a growing need for long-term care between the two countries.