Long-term care services in Taiwan provided by three systems have their own service targets and regulations which are not easy to provide integral and continuity care for aged people. For a full and continuity care service for the elderly, we should evaluate whether the long-term care service has achieved comprehensive and continuing full service in Taiwan.
The purpose of this study is to understand whether the aged people in different illness, physical condition and family care resources have received appropriate long-term care services.Through depth interviews with the elder people who use long-term care services, we examine whether they received comprehensive and continuing service during the process of long-term care.
The research subjects of this study are the users of long-term care services in nursing home affiliated to a hospital, independent nursing home, care center, day care service in Taiwan. From January to April in 2007, data were collected through depth interviews with 15
users of long-term care services. Content analysis of qualitative research method was applied to organize and analyze the data.
We recalled 15 cases and discovered that there are 14 of them do not meet the standard of continuing long-term care service quality. We divided into 99 stages for 15 cases among which the long-term care service can satisfy the needs in 52 stages while in 47 stages the needs are not satisfied. Among 47 stages, 13 stages need home rehabilitation service, 11 stages need nursing home service, 10 stages need home improvement, 8 stages need home care service, and 8 stages need emergency report system, 4 stages need medical care, 3 stages need physical therapy, 1 stage need day care.
We also discovered that most long-term care service users cannot obtain continuing long-term care service quality for the reason including unqualified application; inconvenience of obtaining service, insufficient service information, privacy issues, individual or family preferences for 24 hours institutionalized long-term care service. There is inadequate use of the service or inappropriate use of the long-term care service. So, we tried to understand the
service problems posed for the long-term care service users; and provided references for future improvement of the long-term care service system.
