Strengthening Research to Improve the Practice and Management of Long‐Term Care

C hronic disease and disability affect Americans of all ages, and millions rely on long‐term care (LTC) services—in nursing facilities, in congregate residences, or at home—to meet their health and personal assistance needs. People who are 65 years old today have about a 40 percent chance of spending some time in a nursing home before they die ( Kemper and Murtaugh 1991 ; Murtaugh, Kemper, and Spillman 1990 ). Almost three‐quarters will have had some experience with home care ( Stone 2000 ). The numbers of people, both young and old, in need of long‐term care are growing. Changing demographics, a more engaged public, and growing cost pressures are increasing the demand for empirical evidence of the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of alternative LTC approaches and practices. Making the formal LTC system more effective and more efficient requires that research play a more prominent role in informing service delivery. The research agenda should both respond to and push forward the field of practice, and the definitions of appropriate topics should come from both the practitioners and the researchers.