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:

1. To increase the number of specialists to provide care for dementia patients, in accordance with the needs of the country.
2. To implement permanent training programs to update health professionals and non-professional personnel.
3. To include topics on aging during undergraduate and graduate training for all health professionals, with emphasis on dementia.
4. To promote human resource training strategies, taking advantage of new information technologies and inter-institutional collaboration.
5. To create scholarships for the training of non-medical health professionals specialised in the care of the elderly with dementia.
6. 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.