What is long-term care?

Bookmark and Share
Question, if you know someone, the long-term care needed before, many are negative because they have never had experience with family or a friend of the answers regarding lives in a nursing home. Care have confused without knowing it, interviewed by a place, which provided. Unfortunately, this common response underscores the lack of understanding on this important subject of retirement planning.

It is easy to understand, care to long-term (LTC) if it is not exactly as it sounds: attention, the need to Chronicle for a period of at least 90 days or more to anyone with a prolonged illness, disability or cognitive impairment. Millions of people in America on all age groups to receive this type of assistance, which can last several months, years or even a life long. By the definition of this specialized medical care is custodial in freedom in nature and offers assistance with basic activities of daily life. A physician certifies the need for this type of help, if you need their support the patient with less 2 of the 6 activities of daily living including:

    Eating
    Bathing
    Dressing
    Toileting
    Transferring (Walking)
    Continence

These services may be provided almost anywhere, but they are most commonly provided in the comfort of ones home. Care may also be provided in respite care, adult day care, assisted living, nursing home, and hospice facilities. Once consumers are educated about this, many will then admit experience of a family member who needed care. Perhaps a grandparent, uncle or aunt received assistance in their home from a spouse, child, or relative. Maybe a surviving spouse required care and moved in with a child for family support. Statistics bear the truth of these experiences out since half of all LTC services are provided in the home.

With medical advances in healthcare, increasing longevity, and a growing senior population, the need for long term care is greater today than ever before. The need is even greater for women since their risk is twice that of their male counterparts. Women are often younger than their marriage partners and have longer life expectancies, so it's common for them to outlive their spouses who will not be there to help when their widowed partners need care for themselves. Today, anecdotal and statistical evidence argues that it's absolutely critical that seniors and retirees educate themselves about long term care and how to pay for it. For many, insurance is the most effective way to manage this greatest unfunded financial risk in retirement.

{ 0 comments... Views All / Send Comment! }

Post a Comment