Eldercare in Assisted Living Facilities Research Paper

Such technology is vital today, in a world where older people are increasing and the caregiving system is increasingly strained under the pressure of demand without sufficient resources to adequately supply. These inadequacies are increasingly apparent in stories such as the one used as an example in Bruce (2006, p. 62).

The author relates the story of Theresa Buford, who arrived at a hospital in a coma because adequate medical care did not reach her on time. She died as a result of her condition. Although Ms. Buford was a resident in a care facility, it is clear that her condition has not been adequately monitored or mitigated. This is just one of many similar cases, which highlights the dire need of better care systems for older people in the United States and across the world.

At the same time, Wilden and Redfoot (2002, p. iii) note that assisted living is a rapidly growing living arrangement paradigm. This highlights the importance of access to adequate care in a way that ensures the continued health and well-being of residents.

Another important concern is the cost of these arrangements. The authors suggest that subsidized housing be integrated in assisted living facilities, especially for those who do not need constant attention and care in their day-to-day activities. Such subsidized living could be viable for many more with the integration of remote and pervasive computing facilities. This would also create a platform from which to create more adequate care without straining the system beyond its abilities.

In conclusion, assisted living is in the future of most people today. The reality is that the older generation will increase exponentially in a future that is not very far. For this reason, it is vital to ensure adequate and life-promoting services for the elderly in assisted living conditions. Two good ways to ensure this is with the integration of pervasive and remote computer technology, as well as subsidized housing for those who qualify as a result of a low income level.A third way to consider in terms of research is robotic technology, which could provide a good future platform for caring for the elderly, especially for those who need constant care. The research suggests that there are many possibilities to enhance existing technologies for the future of adequate elderly care.

References

Bruce, P.A. (2006). The Ascendancy Of Assisted Living: The Case For Federal Regulation. Retrieved from: http://www.law.illinois.edu/elderlaw/issues/vol_14/num_1/pdfs/Bruce.website.pdf

Cranswick, K. And Dosman, D. (2008, Oct. 21). Eldercare: What we know today. Statistics Canada. Retrieved from: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/11-008-x/2008002/article/10689-eng.pdf

Spenko, M., Yu, H., and Dubowsky, S. (2006, Sep.). Robotic Personal Aids for Mobility and Monitoring for the Elderly. IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, Vol. 14, No. 3. Retrieved from: http://robots.iit.edu/uploads/Main/Spenko-RoboticPersonalAids.pdf

Stanford, V. (2002, Jan-Mar.) Using Pervasive Computing to Deliver Elder Care. Applications. Retrieved from: http://www.emse.fr/~boissier/enseignement/uc/references/stanford_eldercare.pdf

Virone, G., Alwan, M. Dalal, S., Kell, S.W., Turner, B. Stankovic, J.A., and Felder, R. (2008, May). IEEE Transactions on Information Technology in Biomedicine Vol. 12, No. 3. Behavioral Patterns of Older Adults in Assisted Living.

http://cheetah.cs.virginia.edu/~stankovic/psfiles/BehavioralPatterns.pdf

Wilden, R. And Redfoot, D.L. (2002, Jan.). Adding Assisted Living Services To Subsidized Housing: Serving Frail Older Persons With Low Incomes. AARP. Retrieved from: http://infoassist.panpha.org/docushare/dsweb/Get/Version-12812/2002%20Jan%20Pub%20Pol%20Institute.pdf

Yu, H. Spenko, M. And Dubowsky, S. (2003). An Adaptive Shared Control System for an Intelligent MobilityAid for the Elderly. Autonomous Robots, Vol. 15. Retrieved from: http://robots.iit.edu/uploads/Main/Yu-AnAdaptiveSharedControl.pdf.....