A causal model for the development of long-term facilities: a case in Taiwan

Abstract

Elder care is an important issue in many developed countries such as U.S., Japan, and Taiwan. With the advent of population aging throughout the world, the development of long-term care facilities has become a very vital topic. In actuality, long-term care systems involve government oversight agencies as well as interaction between factors such as laws, social environment, culture, long-term care facilities, residents, and the families of residents, forming a complex and dynamic system. This paper uses system dynamics methodology to model the developmental structure of Taiwanese long-term care facilities to explore its system behaviors. The developmental structure of long-term care facilities in Taiwan is primarily composed of the four levels: overall satisfaction, overall service quality, the skill of administrative and medical care personnel and facility hardware resources. Time delay, complex, and dynamic relationships are present in the overall structure. The overall service quality of facilities is one of the most important factors in facilities' development and that the skills of administrative and medical care personnel is the main critical factor in improving overall service quality. Finally, some suggestions are discussed relevant strategies for the government and the industry.

Simulation modeling in the social care sector: A literature review

“…In the end, 14 articles were identified and used in the analysis. These articles are: Chung et al (2009), Desai et al (2008), Fernandez and Forder (2010), Heffernan and McDonnell (2007), Hsiao and Huang (2012), Jagger et al (2009), Kemper et al (2005), Knickman and Snell (2002), Lagergren (2005aLagergren ( , 2005b, Lubitz et al (2003), Pickard et al (2000), Spillman and Lubitz (2000), and Wolstenholme et al (2007). Desai et al (2008) noted that while OR techniques have been used widely in healthcare, the use of OR techniques in social care has not been so extensive.…”

“…The literature search only found two articles that discuss the supply modeling component (Heffernan and McDonnell 2007;Hsiao and Huang 2012) and both were still at an early stage. This is consistent with Onggo (forthcoming) who notes the lack of simulation modeling work on the supply side of the care sector.…”