The personal support of system of long-term care: potential of care by relatives

The article examines problems of personnel support of long-term care system. The analysis of main trends in quantitative changes in medical personnel and social workers was carried out. The reduction in the number of paramedical and junior medical personnel, who are the basis for provision of sanitary and hygienic services. The changes in the number of physicians in specialties the most in demand in the long-term care system are insignificant and can't ensure input enough into tasks of increasing capacity of long-term care system according to the National goals until 2030. The dynamics of the number of social workers is also negative. The development of professional human resources will be impacted by both competitive factors (higher wages in other sectors of economy) and demographic factors (retirement from the profession due to age). The analysis was carried out concerning possibility of applying care by relatives in the long-term care system. The estimation was made of potential number of persons involved in care by relatives. It is noted that there are objective factors interfering with development of care of relatives. In particular, it was established that obstacle to development of care by relatives is their residence in different localities, availability of children and the necessity to perform work duties. The main contingent involved in care by relatives is citizens aged 60 years and older.