The Development of an Educational and Decision Making Aide for Consumers of Long-Term Care

The goal of this research project was to develop an educational and decision making aide for consumers of long-term care services, (e.g., skilled nursing facilities or assisted living facilities). The educational and decision making aide is specifically designed to assist individuals in care providing situations to understand the differences in the level of care and delivery of care that is offered in skilled nursing facilities and assisted living facilities. The educational and decision making aide helps to fill the void for a generic, yet comprehensive, tool for assisting careproviders to make decisions based on a preliminary assessment of the most appropriate placement for a family member in a long-term care facility. The research project culminated in developing a brochure for use in a variety of settings (e.g. doctor's offices) and is based on a review of the literature and extensive fieldwork by the author.