How Our Caregiving Safety Net Came Unstrung And We Were Left Grasping At

The Shocking Truth About America's Broken Long-Term Care System

By [Author's Name]

In 2014, my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. It was a devastating blow to our family, but we were determined to give her the best possible care. We hired a home health aide to help her with her daily activities, and we made sure she had plenty of social interaction.

The Unravelling: How our caregiving safety net came unstrung and we were left grasping at threads, struggling to plait a new one

by Dr. Torsten Trey

5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	31614 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	240 pages
Lending	:	Enabled

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For a while, things went well. My mother seemed happy and content, and we were able to keep her at home. But as her disease progressed, her needs became greater. The home health aide could no longer handle all of her care, and we had to move her into a nursing home.

The nursing home was a nightmare. The staff was overworked and underpaid, and the care was abysmal. My mother was often left alone in her room, without food or water. She was frequently injured due to neglect.

I tried to get my mother out of that nursing home, but it was impossible. The waiting list for better facilities was years long, and we couldn't afford to pay for private care. We were trapped in a system that was failing my mother.

My story is not unique. Millions of Americans are struggling to care for their loved ones with long-term care needs. The system is broken, and we are all paying the price.

The Growing Need for Long-Term Care

The number of Americans needing long-term care is growing rapidly. By 2050, there will be nearly 100 million people over the age of 65. Of those, nearly half will need some form of long-term care.

This growth is due to a number of factors, including the aging of the population and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases. As people live longer, they are more likely to develop conditions that require long-term care, such as Alzheimer's disease, stroke, and heart disease.

The Broken Long-Term Care System

The United States does not have a comprehensive system of long-term care. Instead, we rely on a patchwork of private insurance, government programs, and out-of-pocket spending.

This system is failing us. Private insurance often does not cover long-term care, and government programs are inadequate and underfunded. As a result, many people are forced to pay for long-term care out of pocket, which can quickly exhaust their savings.

The consequences of this broken system are devastating. People with long-term care needs are often forced to go without care, or they are forced to rely on inadequate care from family and friends. This can lead to serious health problems, financial ruin, and social isolation.

What Needs to Be Done

We need to fix our broken long-term care system. We need a system that is comprehensive, affordable, and accessible to all who need it.

There are a number of ways to achieve this. One option is to create a universal long-term care insurance program, similar to Medicare. This program would provide everyone with access to quality long-term care, regardless of their income or assets.

Another option is to expand and improve existing government programs, such as Medicaid and the Veterans Administration. These programs could be expanded to cover a wider range of long-term care services, and they could be made more affordable for low-income families.

We also need to invest in research and development of new long-term care models. These models could include home-based care, community-based care, and technology-enabled care. By investing in innovation, we can find new ways to provide quality long-term care that is more affordable and accessible.

The crisis in long-term care is a national emergency. We need to act now to fix our broken system and ensure that everyone has access to the quality care they need.

We can do this. We can create a long-term care system that is comprehensive, affordable, and accessible to all. But we need to act now.

**Call to action:**

Please join me in fighting for a better long-term care system for all Americans. Contact your elected officials and demand that they take action to fix this broken system.

The Unravelling: How our caregiving safety net came unstrung and we were left grasping at threads, struggling to plait a new one

by Dr. Torsten Trey

5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	31614 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	240 pages
Lending	:	Enabled

FREE