ABSTRACT
Long-term care facilities (LTCFs) provide care to dependent persons with a variety of needs and expectations, and, in a shifting medical marketplace, ethical issues are part of the daily routine. LTCFs continue to play an important role in posthospital care where short-term-stay residents may receive rehabilitation services or continuing treatment for medical illnesses,
such as osteomyelitis. Improvement in function and health is the usual goal, and discharge to the community is often expected. The other larger group of residents living in LTCFs is composed of frailer individuals who are likely to require nursing home care for the rest of their lives. The nursing home is their home. Their expectations for medical care vary, as do their abilities to make decisions and express treatment preferences. A subset of those LTCF residents is near the end of life and desire primarily palliative care.
