Introduction to the special issue on long-term care.

There are over 1.3 million American residents in long-term care (LTC) facilities of one type or another. We have a considerably greater number of patients in LTC facilities than in general hospitals. Because of the projections that in the next several decades millions more will become residents of LTC institutions, it is remarkable that so little attention has been directed to the psychological issues that involve elderly residents in these settings. In recognition of the variety of recent changes in the relationship between acute care settings and LTC institutions, because of an emerging body of research being developed about the nursing home, and in view of the large number and projected growth of the LTC institutional population, our focus in this special issue is largely upon the institutional setting. Individual articles in this issue focus upon aspects of a range of subjects. These include broad issues of health policy in the United States as they relate to LTC; the future of nursing homes; staff-patient relationships in LTC institutions; and the clinical and social-psychological issues that must be addressed by rehabilitation psychology in LTC settings. The hope is that this issue of Rehabilitation Psychology will stimulate greater interest among psychologists and allied professionals in the field of LTC and in addressing the needs of the millions of persons who could profit from help. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)