Long-term care is personal aid services for people who need assistance with activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, transferring, and continence.
Long-term care is different from the rest of your health care. It is not typically covered under health insurance policies, HMO plans, Medicare, or Medicare supplemental policies.
It may be difficult to think about the possibility of needing long-term care due to an illness, accident, or physical disability, but as we get older, we may want to plan our care to maximize our quality of life.
Why to Consider Long-Term Care Coverage:
Some people think that long-term care is not necessary because they think either their children will take care of them or their long-term care needs will be covered by Medicare. While still others prefer to never be a burden to their kids in this way. In fact, according to a recent article in Forbes Magazine *“The Good, The Bad And The Ugly of Long-Term Care”, about 70% of retirees end up needing long-term care since their care needs may become too strenuous for their family to handle alone. Without a proper plan, long-term care costs can eat up your savings in no time at all and could end up costing several thousands of dollars per month.
According to Medicare.com, a nongovernment site powered by eHealth,*“Medicare generally only covers medical care. Much long-term care is custodial care rather than medical care. Non-skilled personal care, such as help bathing, dressing, eating, using the toilet, and moving around would be considered custodial care. Medicare generally does not cover custodial care if that’s the only care you need.”
Advantages of Having Your Own Policy:
The benefits of having your own long-term care policy is that you can receive the attention you need in the place of your choice, while maintaining your independence and relieving your family of this tremendous burden of care and ensuring decisions are made in your favor. By planning in advance, your family and caregivers will have permission to implement the decisions you have made based on how you want to receive care during that phase of your life.
Disadvantages of Not Having Your Own Policy:
The disadvantages of not having your own custom long-term care plan are that your family will be burdened with the task of providing care for you while they may not have the training, ability, physical strength, or desire to provide all the care that you will need including assistance with matters such as personal hygiene, toileting, and continence. Additionally, should the decision be made to bring in a professional caregiver or that a stay in a care facility is needed, this may come at a high cost. This may cause tremendous stress and anxiety to all involved.
How We Can Help:
Long-Term Care Myths
"Long-term care is a complicated issue. The best way to weed out the misinformation about long-term care is to learn the facts."
* California Partnership for Long-Term Care
Found here: https://rureadyca.org
Direct quotes taken from:
* California Partnership for Long-Term Care
* Siddell, Ed. "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly of Long-Term Care." Forbes. Mar 19, 2019.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/impactpartners/2019...
* "How Do I Pay For Long-Term Care." Medicare.com. Caregiver Resources Articles. Dec 3, 2019.
https://medicare.com/caregiver-resources/how-do-i-pay-for-long-term-care