Long term care is in a broad sense care provided to those who are unable to care for themselves. It is a type of health care, usually, in the form of help with activities of daily living (ADLs) which is needed because of one or more medical or surgical conditions. It, also, includes supervision and assistance for those with a severe cognitive impairment such as Alzheimer’s Disease.

The ADLs include transferring (getting out of bed in the morning or out of a chair), bathing, dressing, going to the bathroom, continence (maintaining control of bowel and bladder function) and feeding oneself. Care, that one provides to someone to help with these ADLs, is usually called custodial care.

The need for long term care can happen suddenly, as with a severe struck or severe head injury, or occur gradually, with a decline in health, from for example diabetes or, again, Alzheimer’s Disease.

What are the types of long term care?

It is not your father’s or mother’s nursing home. In fact, a relatively small percentage of all long term care dollars are spent on nursing homes. Overall,, there are two broad categories of care: home and community care and facility care.  Examples of both are below:

            Home and Community Care                       Facility Care

            Home Health Care                                        Residential CareFacilities
            Informal Care (Family and Friends)                 Nursing Homes
            Homemaker Services
            Hospice Care
            Adult Day Care

 

What are your odds of needing it?

Greater than you think. Most of us think we’ll never need long term care.Yet, because, we are living longer, the chances of becoming ill or injured  and needing assistance for a period on  time increases. Currently, the risk of needing some sort of long term care for those 60 and older is about 40%. Many of you probably know of someone who is receiving such care or are even providing such care yourself to a parent or other relative. And it not only older people who need such care. About 40 % of long term care is provided to people younger than 60 for conditions such as severe head trauma or a neurodegerative condition like multiple sclerosis (MS).

What does this care cost?

Probably more than you think.The national average cost for a private room in a nursing home is $70,912 per year. This is from Genworth Financial’s 2006 Cost of Care Survey. From the same survey we learn that the national average cost of in-home assistance is $22.15 per hour or $40,072 per year for 40 hours of help per week. For the complete survey results, click here.

Who pays for it?

Unless you have some wealthy, generous and loving relatives, are on Medicaid or have long term care insurance, YOU pay.  Most other insurances do not pay for it.

• Most health insurance policies pay, at most, for a limited amount of skilled nursing care, which is different than the custodial care that makes up most of long term care
• Medicare, also for some skilled nursing care but not custodial care
• Disability insurance only replaces lost income
• Medicaid will pay for long term care, but ususally, only in a nursing home and only after you have spent most of your assets

What is long term health care insurance?

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