Sehrawat Seema
School of Social Work, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, USA.
J Gerontol Soc Work. 2010 Jan;53(1):64-76. doi: 10.1080/01634370802609254.
With the large increase in the older adult population, the number of people in need of nursing home services is expected to grow rapidly. The challenge is to attain or maintain the highest possible physical, mental and psychological well-being of residents through provision of medically-related social services as required by the Nursing Home Reform Act (NHRA) of 1987. However, the basis of psycho-social service provision in NHRA is the size of the nursing home, which is questionable and is therefore making legislation less equitable. This policy analysis of NHRA will include suggestions of feasible policy alternatives to make the current legislation more equitable and effective. The article recognizes and endorses the contribution of social workers in psycho-social service provision and advocates for an increase in the ratio of mental health professionals to residents, therefore meeting the psycho-social service needs of the residents.
随着老年人口的大幅增加，需要养老院服务的人数预计将迅速增长。挑战在于，要根据1987年《养老院改革法案》（NHRA）的要求，通过提供与医疗相关的社会服务，实现或维持居民尽可能高的身体、精神和心理健康水平。然而，NHRA中社会心理服务提供的依据是养老院的规模，这一点值得质疑，因此使得该立法缺乏公平性。对NHRA的这项政策分析将包括可行的政策替代方案建议，以使现行立法更加公平和有效。本文认可并赞同社会工作者在提供社会心理服务方面的贡献，并主张提高心理健康专业人员与居民的比例，从而满足居民的社会心理服务需求。
