Question

I would like you to analyze the following long-term care organization and give specific details as required under the areas stated below. The name of the long-term care entity is JASA (Jewish Association Serving the Aging). The entity’s website is http://www.jasa.org

Areas to address:
1-history of the type of care provided
2- a description of the facility selected ( from their website)
3-an evaluation/analysis of the pluses and minuses of the care provided by the facility including physical setting and healthcare provider aspects, cost, other patient options, (refer to articles to make comparisons)
5-impact of legislation on care (cost management, quality standards, accreditation)
5-suggestions for improvement. (from articles, please be very specific)

-No plagiarism/grammatically correct/information from nursing home

Please use the files uploaded for the research on this topic
it should be 5 full pages excluding the reference page

Answer

Analyzing a Long-Term Care Entity – JASA

Long-term care is a combination of services and products that meet the medical and non-medical needs of people with a disability, who are suffering from a chronic illness or who cannot take care of themselves and those around them over a long period. Professional medical expertise is required to address the chronic illness and all other complications that arise among older members of the society. This kind of care should also include assistance with normal and daily activities such as dressing, feeding and moving around, based on the need and degree of the illness or disability. With the growth in long-term care provision, it is now possible to provide this kind of assistance in different settings including at home, in nursing homes, at the hospital and in assisted living homes (Ada, Namkee & Monk, 1998). This phenomenon has especially been supported by the diversification of nursing which has allowed nurses to take up more specialized roles in the community.

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Long-term care can be provided either formally or informally, and is now a well-funded part of health care and social security. Funding comes from both taxpayers and the private sector (Cox, 1993). Supported housing is perhaps the most popular and well-supported form of long-term care in the US. This service is covered under a couple of health insurance packages one of them being long-term care insurance. This analysis will look into long term care with a specific focus on the Jewish Association Serving the Elderly (JASA). The study will concentrate on the organization’s operations, how it its operations have been affected by legislation and methods that can be used to improve shortcomings and retain its strengths.

History and Description

JASA is a New York-based organization that serves the older population and their families. This organization is founded on Jewish principles that strongly focus on maintaining the honor and dignity of the elderly so that they can retain their position in society. Although this organization works through sustaining this Jewish culture, it serves elderly adults of all races and religions. Their service targets and extends to the regions of Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan, and Long Island.

Founded in 1968, its first senior center was opened in 1972. One year after this, the agency opened its first Affordable Housing Complex in Coney Island. The years that followed were marked by the accomplishment of great milestones in their services and interaction with legislation (JASA). In 1974, the Supreme Court appointed JASA as the first agency in social service in New York, to include care for mentally impaired older adults. This prompted the opening of a mental health clinic in subsequent years. Legislation components involving the statutory government and the agency include legal services or the elderly, home care programs, community guardian programs advocacy training for the elderly and elder abuse prevention programs being set up under the legal support and enforcement of the law. With the Ellie and Martin Lifton Institute of Judaic Studies being founded in 2006, this agency has come a long way in establishing religious and legal ties with the local and federal government as well as the community (JASA).

JASA now offers some of the most comprehensive packages in long-term care. This includes a combination of; housing, home care, legal services, mental health services, meals, Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs), Counseling, Caregiver Assistance, Eder Abuse protection, and a Jewish program. Under the leadership of the president, Mark Imowitiz, the team is comprised of a small integrated group that foresees most aspects of operation and finance of the agency. The efficiency of this team has allowed the agency to remain financially sustainable and well equipped to serve its purpose and objectives. About 40,000 elderly people were assisted in 2016. This demonstrates that the agency has exponentially increased its assisting capacity and reaches all its services (JASA).

Evaluation

Undeniably, the agency has had notable success and challenges in its operation. Its physical setting and operational units have been the strongest part of this agency. These factors have allowed it to target a large group of the older population that is further characterized by diversity. New York has one of the highest rates of cultural and religious diversity (Mor, 2005). Notably, health care now recognizes the different aspects and factors that go into health care provision based on differences in culture, ethnicity, and religion. In the US, the minority groups have for a long time missed out on specialized care that factored in various differences and contributed to health and wellbeing. With health reform, care now takes up a personal and very specific approach that is inclusive and considerate. In this respect, the Jewish, Hispanics, African Americans, and Asians are among some of the groups that have now offset new reforms in health care and long term care (Alpert, 1994). The location of the industry in this vibrant state has allowed for adequate research and experience by the health practitioners and caregivers for different types of patients. Over the years, the agency has gathered comprehensive data that now supports different groups. It is this factor that has for many years supported the efficiency and sustainability of the organization.

Some of the challenges have been in the expansion and financial stability of the agency. Even though the organization receives adequate support from the government and taxes, the expansion of services provided coupled with the growing need for care has placed a financial strain on the agency’s ability to cater to all people and the different services (Hughes, 1995). This has created a situation in which certain services receive more priority over others. With homecare being well developed and supported, the mental health services and extra housing continue to take a hit. This affects the continuity of their services which is especially important in long term care.

Impact of Legislation on Long-Term Care at JASA

With the Home Health Care Improvement Act of 2015, nursing practitioners can now sign health plans of care. This Act and the adjustments made in Medicare have fully supported long term care for inpatient and outpatients. Furthermore, adjustments in these laws have allowed for the inclusion of more chronic illnesses and disabilities under health insurance. As most of these illnesses were previously excluded in entirety from health plans, most health care costs in long term care were derived form additional out of pocket funds (Wellin and Kunkel, 2006). With the expansion of Medicare and Obama care, most of the elderly population is protected by social security and the health complications that come with aging were severely difficult to manage. Furthermore, long term care now includes strict considerations on cultural and religious inclusion in health care. Nursing has been included as a major part of this type of care. The Medicare Home Health Act of 2015 now allows home health agencies the ability to open cases and conduct research when skilled nursing support is not provided (JASA). This act has boosted the home care service provided by the agency and further reinforced the legal protection that home care receives. This act extends in designing the eligibility criteria in a fair and standard procedure.

Suggestions for Improvement

Even though the quantity and reach of long term care have been expanded and supported by the American government and agencies such as JASA, the quality of this health care remains compromised and low. On a national level, it is essential to strengthening the quality in nursing homes through the Advanced Excellence (AE) (Mor, 2005). The campaign helps nursing home organizations regulate the quality and track progress within their own facilities. This campaign also works in cooperation with Medicare and Medicaid to promote affordability and quality in treatment and care.

JASA can strongly improve the quality of care through expansive and integrated research. Despite the huge database that the agency has, further research must be conducted to develop better strategies of strengthening all services and units under the organization. This research must include all the health practitioners involved, the community and the health insurance providers. Quality improvement (QI) efforts are now more important amidst health care reform (Mor, 2005). With the expansion of care in the New York region, comparative research and reporting are crucial in determining patterns and challenges that are most dominant in this area. This research should be a balanced analysis of clinical, operational, financial and cultural factors.

References

Ada M., Namkee, C. & Monk, A. (1998). Long-Term Care and Ethnicity. Westport: Auburn House.

Alpert, M. (1994). The Chronically Disabled Elderly in Society. Westport: Greenwood Press.

Cox, C. (1993). The Frail Elderly: Problems, Needs and Community Responses. Westport: Auburn House Paperback.

Hughes, B. (1995). Older People and Community Care: Critical Theory and Practice. Philadelphia: Open University Press.

JASA. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.jasa.org

Mor, V. (2005). Improving the Quality of Long-Term Care with better Information. The Milbank Quarterly. Web.

Wellin, V. & Kunkel, S. (2006). Consumer Voice and Choice in Long-Term Care. New York: Springer Publishing Company.