Long-Term Care Needs Assessment: From Frameworks to Practice

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Health Policy

Background:

• Long-term care (LTC) systems are crucial for supporting aging populations.
• Standardized functional ability assessment is key for equitable eligibility and benefit allocation in LTC.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) proposes healthy aging frameworks focusing on intrinsic capacity and functionality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and describe instruments used globally for functional ability assessment in LTC eligibility.
• To compare these instruments against WHO's healthy aging frameworks (intrinsic capacity and functionality).

Main Methods:

• A descriptive, case study approach was employed.
• Data on LTC systems and assessment instruments were collected from 27 countries.
• Assessment tool features were systematically compared with WHO's intrinsic capacity and functionality domains.

Main Results:

• Countries were categorized into three groups based on LTC systems and standardized assessment tools (6 with systems and tools, 8 with initiatives but no standardized tool, 13 with no information).
• Standardized instruments assessed intrinsic capacity domains (cognition, mobility, psychological capacity) and most functional ability domains, excluding "contribute."

Conclusions:

• Functional ability assessment for LTC eligibility is complex but essential.
• Countries can leverage existing instruments, frameworks, and international experiences to refine their LTC assessment processes.
• Adapting assessment tools to specific national contexts is vital for effective LTC system design and redesign.