Long-term Care Utilizing Nurse Practitioners

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Long term care (LTC) settings provide a vast variety of services that range from convalescent care, respite stays and skilled rehabilitation services which includes: skilled nursing, physical, occupational or speech therapy. LTC includes a broad spectrum of services that are designed to meet the varying needs of geriatric individuals and other adults with functional restrictions. The services rendered in this setting are designed to support individual needs from assistance with activities of daily living, medication management, cognitive and behavioral health support and limitations secondary to acute to chronic medical conditions. The care bestowed not only assists individuals with maintaining or improving their physical functioning, it enhances their quality of life. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2013, there were 16,100 nursing homes in the United States (U.S.); over 1.7 million adult persons required placement in one of those long term care settings (CDC, 2013). Medical care within these settings has evolved from the traditional physician model with the introduction of the nurse practitioner (NP). The NP views the client as a whole, and considers how the individual’s condition or symptoms impact their overall well-being (e.g.: medically, physically and mentally). With the growing geriatric population in the United States, one has to ponder does the role of the nurse practitioner improve outcomes for the elderly clients?
Definition and description
During the past twenty-five years, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has authorized nurse practitioners to provide services to long term care residents. Throughout these years, nurse practitioners have demonstrated the ability ...

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...ical care. Their unique ability to connect with the clients, their families and the LTC staff is critical in enhancing the quality of life and improving outcomes for residents in the long term care setting.

Works Cited

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013). FASTSTATS, Nursing Home Care. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/nursingh.htm
McAiney, C., Haughton ,D., Jennings, J., Farr ,D., Hillier, L. & Morden, P. (2008) A unique practice model for Nurse Practitioners in long-term care homes. J Adv Nurs. 62(5):562- 71. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2008.04628.x.
Stolee P, Miller, L., Esbaugh, J., Griffiths, N., Borrie, M. (2006). Examining the nurse practitioner role in long-term care: evaluation of a pilot project in Canada. Journal of Gerontological Nursing 32(10):28-36. Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17048754

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