DESK REVIEWS | 04.03.07. (How) are health and long-term care workforce represented in the policy document?
DESK REVIEW | 04.03.07. (How) are health and long-term care workforce represented in the policy document?
Yes. The need for multidisciplinary healthcare teams with sufficient knowledge about older people is mentioned as a challenge to be overcome in the National Policy for Older People’s Health and in the Law Project 4364/2020 (Brazilian Federal Congress, 2020; Brazilian Ministry of Health, 2006). However, the long-term care workforce is not specifically mentioned.
References:
Brazilian Federal Congress. (2020). Projeto de Lei do Senado 4364, de 2020. https://www25.senado.leg.br/web/atividade/materias/-/materia/144381
Brazilian Ministry of Health. (2006). Política Nacional de Saúde da Pessoa Idosa. http://bvsms.saude.gov.br/bvs/saudelegis/gm/2006/prt2528_19_10_2006.html
Not applicable.
The health and long-term care workforces are represented especially in the fifth action step: establishing a system to strengthen professional and sustainable human resources. This is described in their indicators, particularly:
- ‘Indicator 1.1 All medical and nursing schools are expected to include older people’s cognitive health in their curriculum.
- Indicator 1.2 Doctors and other healthcare workers who are trained in dementia management are present in all Puskesmas, hospitals, and senior homes.
- Indicator 1.3 There are healthcare workers who have been trained to be trainers for dementia management’ (Ministry of Health Republic of Indonesia, 2015a, p.22).
The Long-term care workforce appears to be represented by the Ministry of Social Affairs in the same action step. The plan describes the need to develop a strategy to ensure health care workers understand the role of care partners in dementia care coordination. The indicators are:
- ‘Indicator 2.1 There are regular meetings of all healthcare workers and care partners involved in dementia management
- Indicator 2.2 There is a dementia care coordination’ (Ministry of Health Republic of Indonesia, 2015a, p.22)
References:
Ministry of Health Republic of Indonesia. (2015a). Ministry of Health Regulation No. 67/2015 on Geriatric Services in Public Health Center (Permenkes No. 67/2015 Tentang Penyelenggaraan Pelayanan Kesehatan Lanjut Usia Di Pusat Kesehatan Masyarakat). Kementrian Kesehatan Indonesia, 1–140.
The health and long-term care workforce is represented in the National Plan through two strategies, the first one aims at training adequate and specific human resources through the following lines of action:
- To increase the number of specialists to provide care for dementia patients, in accordance with the needs of the country.
- To implement permanent training programs to update health professionals and non-professional personnel.
- To include topics on aging during undergraduate and graduate training for all health professionals, with emphasis on dementia.
- To promote human resource training strategies, taking advantage of new information technologies and inter-institutional collaboration.
- To create scholarships for the training of non-medical health professionals specialised in the care of the elderly with dementia.
- To promote family guidance for better care and management of family members affected by dementia.
The second strategy is aimed specifically at long-term care in the last stages of the disease, focussing on the need for programs or services for comprehensive palliative care at home.