Long Term Care
Education and effective planning for Long Term Care is a way to help you protect yourself, and your family, against the potentially high costs of long term care. There’s a lot to consider, and long term care planning resources and educational materials are available. Your age, assets, health, and family situation should all be taken into account as part of an effective Long Term Care plan.
The decision about whether to purchase long term care insurance or any other care plan is also related to your future plans, so thinking about and discussing future care wishes and desires with family members is a big part of the planning process.
Because long term care planning can be complex, you should plan to attend a future EducateU Long Term Care Planning workshop. Our team can explain your options and address specific questions and concerns, as well as help you find a direction and process that’s best for you.
Visit this US Government internet site for comprehensive information and content. Long Term Care – Main Website
Long Term Care FAQs:
Who provides long term care services?
Unpaid family caregivers provide most long term care. Spouses, adult children and other family members provide a majority of care. Formal or paid caregivers, ranging from home health aides, certified nursing assistants, social workers, nurses, occupational therapists, and geriatric case managers, are a few examples of professionals involved in offering long term care services.
Where are most long term care services provided?
More than 80% of elders requiring assistance with ADLs or IADLs live at home or in a community setting. The other 20% live in nursing homes or with their families. Most people who need long term care do not need skilled nursing care, but other personal and social services.
What are some examples of long term care services?
- Home health care
- Personal care
- Nursing home care (skilled nursing facilities)
- Informal care from friends and relatives
- Social services
- Assisted living (help bathing, taking medications, providing meals)
- Adult day care
- Meals on Wheels
What is long term care? Understanding the Basics
Defining Long Term Care What comes to your mind when you hear the words “long term care?” The reality of long term care is often much different than many think. Long term care has changed greatly in the past few years adding to the confusion. If you have had experience with parents or grandparents, what you saw and knew as long term care will be different today. Long term care is a term used to describe a variety of personal care, social and medical services provided to help people with daily living activities and to remain as independent as possible. Typical users of long term care have chronic health problems, physical illnesses, or mental disabilites that limit their ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs) or instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs).
ADLS include: Bathing Dressing Toileting Eating Getting around the house
IADLs include: Preparing meals Shopping Managing money Using the telephone Doing housework Taking medication
How much care will you need?
Service and support needs vary from person to person and often change over time.
- On average, someone who is 65 today will need some type of long-term care services and supports for three years.
- Women need care longer (on average 3.7 years) than men (on average 2.2 years), mostly because women usually live longer.
- While about one-third of today’s 65-year-olds may never need long-term care services and supports, 20 percent will need care for longer than 5 years.
If you need long-term care services and supports, you may receive or use one or more of the following:
- Assistance with personal care or other activities from an unpaid caregiver who may be a family member or friend
- Services in your home from a nurse, home health or home care aide, therapist, or homemaker
- Services in the community such as adult day services
- Care in any of a variety of long-term care facilities
Will you need Long Term Care?
About 70 percent of people over age 65 will require some type of long-term care services during their lifetime. More than 40 percent will need care in a nursing home. Things that increase your risk or make it more likely that you’ll need long-term care include:
- Age: The older you get, the more likely it is that you’ll need help.
- Living alone: If you live alone, you’re more likely to need paid care than if you’re married or single and living with a partner.
- Gender: Women are more likely to need long-term care than men, primarily because women tend to live longer.
- Lifestyle: Poor diet and exercise habits increase the chance that you’ll need long-term care.
- Personal history: Health and family history can increase the chances you’ll need long-term care.
Who needs Long Term Care?
You need long-term care when you are not able to complete personal care or other daily activities on your own. This is most often the result of a chronic illness or disability. In some cases, the illness or disability may include memory loss, confusion, or disorientation, sometimes called cognitive impairment. This can be the result of conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.