What Do Consumers and Healthcare Providers in West Virginia Think of Long-Term Care?

In recent years, the media has portrayed long-term care in a negative light, with exposè news stories on skilled nursing facilities, personal care homes, and hospitals that provide long-term care. There have been few positive news stories to counter the negative ones, and there is concern that the public perception of long-term care is inaccurate. The authors conducted the following study to evaluate how the West Virginia consumer perceives and defines long-term care and if there is a difference in that perception as compared with healthcare workers' perceptions and definitions of long-term care. The results of the study indicate that the respondents' education level, not occupation, has the most significant influence on respondents' definitions and perceptions of long-term care. Respondents felt that although media articles are informative, they are not accurate, and that long-term care is a needed service they would consider both for themselves and for a loved one. The results of the study suggest that current marketing strategies employed by nursing homes are working, as respondents largely believe that long-term care is provided in nursing homes and that they would likely seek care there if needed.