Wait Times in Long-term Facilities

Objectives: By 2050 it is expected that the population of individuals over the age of 80 will increase from 14.5 million to 394.7 million. During this time, chronic diseases will account for over half of the low to middle income countries disease burden. These in combination have led to increased stress on long term care (LTC) facilities to accommodate the elderly population. The objective of this paper is to identify the stakeholders, barriers and solutions to better managing wait-times in long-term care (LTC) facilities in Ontario. Background: Current research identifies practical solutions to prolonged wait times for long-term care facilities. There is a gap in identifying the stakeholders and barriers that affect long-term care wait times. Importance we are filling the gaps in research by identifying stakeholders and solutions to barriers that can improve wait times in long-term care facilities for the elder population. Methods: We reviewed a variety of scholarly, news and statistic based articles. We utilized the search engine Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature database (CINAHL) between the years 2012-2017 to insure up to date research is utilized. Both qualitative and quantitative research was reviewed based on studies related to LTC facilities. Results: Wait times for admission to a LTC facilities in Ontario averaged 99 days. The population of individuals over 80 is expected to rise by 380.2 million (272%) by 2050. This places a strain on admission times into a LTC facility, which increases the demand for beds. The greatest barriers were a lack of available beds and the large expense of placing a family member in a LTC facility. We also identified internal and external stakeholders. Results demonstrated that if stakeholders worked together wait times could be decreased. Strategies to reduce wait times include implementing unique approaches such as increasing investments in home care, promoting mobilization and nutrition, and preventing chronic diseases. These actions have the potential to decrease overall LTC facilities wait times. Keywords: Long-term care, Home, Wait-time, Stakeholder, Barriers, Health