長期性之照顧、支持及保護(即「長期照護」)有別於醫療或護理,乃生活活動參與問題的安排解決,此為人類文化文明發展至一定之上乘階段時勢須大力面對投注之重點部份。長期照護在人口高齡化所迫切面臨之罹病慢性化、孱弱化、障礙化、多樣化及長期化必然突顯,須透過相關之人、事、物串組而成之照護安排,且在醫療保健、福祉保障、照護人力、穩定雇傭及社會人文等之基礎建構上處理之,其中更細含獨特的思維裡念、操作機制、體制平台、管控流程、法政框架、知能技巧、介入評估、工具使用、(照護)計畫擬定、團隊實(運)作、活動設計、保險設計、品質監測、產業發展、社會價值,以及相關之政策推動(包括供需分佈掌握、資源需耗、窗口場點通路網絡、專業教育培訓(種子教師、種子教材)及證照設計、評估工具研發及模組化、照護資訊化、諮商與處理爭議、以及必要之立法修法及專業專職之推動團隊)。故「長期照護」須先有周延適切之界定,方能進一步操作及推動。
Quite different from medical nursing, long-term support & protection (Long-Term Care, LTC), has been regarded as dealing with people with the activity & participation problems, it should be faced, committed and solved eagerly in the advanced stage of human culture development. As the population aging, the related health and care problems have shifted to be chronic, frail, disabled, various and long-term ones, and all should be arranged thru' the clustering of manpower, issue/ task and material as an integrating entity on the basis of medical care, security, care personnel, pertinent hiring, and humanistic, moreover, encompassing ideology, operating mechanism, platform & scheme, flow diagram & administration, legal framework, knowledge & skill, intervention evaluation, assessment toolkit appliance, care planning, team work, activity designing, insurance organizing, industry growing, social value, and related policy making and implementing, resource consumption, entry & path & web, professional nurturing (seed teachers, seed teaching materials), qualification/ licensure, assessment tool package & model and care informatics, research, counseling and dispute resolving, rather, mandatory legislation/ amendment and taskforce group execution. In order to operating and taking necessary actions, LTC should be defined pertinently and comprehensively.