The list of challenges ahead for long-term care is lengthening

In the face of demographic implosion and increasing life expectancy - the structure of our society is changing at a pace that will have an increasing impact on the functioning of long-term care in Poland with each passing year. Seniors are increasingly lonely, queues for specialized care are lengthening, and their loved ones, for various reasons, can devote less and less time to them. We will discuss this and other challenges facing stakeholders in the long-term care sector today during the sixth edition of the conference: "LONG-TERM CARE IN POLAND - TODAY AND TOMORROW", which will be held on November 21 - 22, 2024 in Warsaw at the NYX Hotel.

As every year, participants in this event will include representatives of state and local governments, academia, the professional community, non-profit organizations and, above all, leaders in the long-term care sector. Topics at the conference range from political to professional to financial and management challenges.

Demographic challenges we didn't know before

The conference will begin on November 21 with a panel on "Challenges of long-term care in a period of demographic implosion" (Panel 1), where participants will consider possible directions for health, social and senior policies that take into account the progressive changes in Poland's demographic structure. According to published forecasts and assuming the continuation of a very low generational replacement rate, it is expected that by 2050 the demographic structure will only get worse.

According to Magdalena Osinska-Kurzywilk, president of the board of directors of the Coalition "To Help the Indigent" - today we are facing challenges that we have not yet had in long-term care. It is our duty to provide seniors with security and dignified living conditions, although the changing social structure and shrinking human resources in long-term care will be a significant barrier to the development of this sector before long. Our efforts must focus on developing a model that will ensure not only relative stability for years to come, but will allow us to meet the expectations of the next generation entering seniority. Osinska-Kurzywilk also stresses that without strategic changes and more effective human resource management, the long-term care system may unfortunately fail to meet the challenges of the coming decades.

In light of the aging population, the shortage of geriatric specialists remains a pressing issue. These issues will be discussed during the panel discussion "How to develop and popularize geriatrics in Poland?" (Panel 4). Malgorzata Durka, secretary of the Coalition's board, notes: - As a society, we need to understand that a geriatrician is not just a doctor delegated to seniors. He or she is first and foremost an expert in the comprehensive health care that senior patients need. If we want to meet the challenges of the future, efforts to develop and popularize geriatrics in the system seem necessary.

The number of geriatricians in Poland is still very small, and this situation will not change soon. There are just over 500 geriatricians, which poses the question to every government of how to fill this gap today, while encouraging the next generation of young doctors to choose this specialty.

Nursing and care staff shortages - we need a new policy

An in-depth reflection on the issue of the future of the medical and nursing workforce in long-term care is needed. In panels entitled: "The Nursing Profession in Long-Term Care - Today and Tomorrow" and "The Caregiver Profession in Long-Term Care - Today and Tomorrow," invited speakers will focus on finding solutions to, on the one hand, retain current staff in long-term care, but also attract graduates to work in this sector. A new strategy and solutions are needed to motivate the youngest generation of nurses to take on this demanding job. Similar challenges face the caring professions. Beata Stepanow, vice president of the Coalition's board, notes that: - "If we don't take bold action now, the shortage of medical and nursing staff in long-term care could reach critical levels in five to 10 years," she says, adding, "Only by making a concerted effort can we stop this threat by creating working conditions that will encourage school and university graduates to tie their careers to this very important and still undervalued area of our country's health and social policy.

For many years, experts involved in long-term care have emphasized how crucial it is to have stable and long-term solutions in this area. Therefore, one of the issues the conference participants will consider will be the verification of the effects of the policies carried out so far through speculative laws and support programs. Are they the optimal tool for implementing policies to address care and medical needs?

The answer to demographic challenges may lie in optimizing human resources. This topic will be addressed, among others, by the participants of the panel "Management and staffing challenges in long-term care." As Tomasz Michalek, director of the Coalition's Board Office, notes: - Effective use of human resources in long-term care is essential, because with the growing demand for care and medical services, every pair of hands counts. The time when we benefited from a surplus of people willing to do this hard work is over. Therefore, we need to find solutions to increase the efficiency of medical and care teams, as well as take care of their mental health, so that they can do their jobs without exposing themselves to rapid professional burnout. - and adds - Innovative technological and management solutions, which will be presented at the conference, can play an important role in this area.

What goals, what directions for change?

The conference is not only limited to discussion, but also presents goals and sets directions towards which changes in long-term care in Poland should go. The program of the event covers a wide spectrum of issues, from the challenges associated with the need to introduce a new model in the segment of home mechanical ventilation, to ensuring further development in the area of medical nutrition to the need for reform of nursing long-term home care and also changes in palliative and hospice care. All these areas are an important, in the context of the dynamically changing needs of Polish society, part of the broader long-term care in Poland.

Faced with so many challenges, Magdalena Osinska-Kurzywilk, chairman of the Coalition's board of directors, stresses the importance of coordination: - Long-term care requires cooperation between the government, local governments and NGOs. I believe that the long-term care sector deserves a substantive debate, where, at least for a while, we can forget about political divisions and jointly contribute to a lasting change in the approach to the care of dependent, chronically ill people, where the elderly will be able to count on the comprehensive care they really need at a given stage of their lives. - and adds - In light of changing demographics and the growing challenges of long-term care, an event such as the Coalition's national conference is not only needed, but essential, to prepare our society and system for the coming changes.

Read more: https://opiekadlugoterminowa2024.pl/