posted on 2006-01-01, 00:00authored byScott Stevens, Ashok Bharucha, Michael Christel, Alexander Hauptmann, Howard Wactlar, Datong Chen
Nearly 2.5 million Americans currently reside in nursing homes and assisted living
facilities in the United States, accounting for approximately 5% of persons 65 years and
older.1The aging of the “Baby Boomer” generation is expected to lead to an exponential
growth in the need for some form of long-term care (LTC) for this segment of the
population within the next 25 years. In light of these sobering demographic shifts, there
is an urgency to address the profound concerns that exist about the quality-of-care (QoC)
and quality-of-life (QoL) of this frailest segment of our population.