First, the factor influencing the disintegration of the joint family system is modern education as it inspires strong individualism among people, which contributes to their separation from their families. Second, developed means of communication and transport also affect the disintegration of joint families. In the past, there was significant difficulty in getting to other parts of cities or keeping in touch with people. This is why young mothers and fathers needed their parents to live with them and help with household chores and children. However, nowadays, there is large-scale mobility, and it is much easier to communicate with grandparents who live in the countryside or other towns.
Such disintegration had a significant impact on aging people and long-term care. Unfortunately, after separating from their parents, fewer young people continue feeling responsible for taking care of them, and a vast number of aged people feel lonely, which undermines their health. Therefore, there are certain benefits of this disintegration for long-term care systems. More older persons require the help of long-term care workers and pay money for their services. Thanks to the changes in the 1990s and early 2000s, governed long-care became more influential. More programs like Medicaid and other long-term care initiatives occurred and started registering children and women and helping aged people. Reduced amount of inpatient care and increased access to healthcare facilities were also the results of those changes.
There are particular strengths and weaknesses of the US current long-term care system. Its evident pros are that this system always tries to meet the changing needs of various consumers, and the treatments are modern, helpful, and up-to-date (Gillies, 2018). Its cons include increasing costs and the lack of dedicated and qualified caregivers. Moreover, the image of long-term care facilities is often negative because of the media.
Reference
Gillies, A. (2018). What makes a good healthcare system? Comparisons, values, drivers. CRC Press.