Long Term Care

The Basics

In the 2000, almost 10 million people needed some form of long-term care in the United States. Of this population, 3.6 million (37%) were under age 65 and 6 million (63%) were over age 65 (Roger & Komisar, 2003). Almost 70% of people turning age 65 will need long-term care at some point in their lives. This section of the website provides basic information so you can begin to think about how you will handle the need for long-term care. Your path will be unique to you, and based on your preferences and circumstances. Let’s look at the basic questions covered in this section:

Many people think the phrase “long-term care” refers to an insurance policy. While insurance may be part of your strategy, long-term care encompasses everything from long-term services and supports and finances, to where you will live and how you will navigate the myriad of legal, family, and social dynamics along the way.

Long-term care is a range of services and supports you may need to meet your personal care needs. Most long-term care is not medical care, but rather assistance with the basic personal tasks of everyday life, sometimes called Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), such as:

• Bathing
• Dressing
• Using the toilet
• Transferring (to or from bed or chair)
• Caring for incontinence
• Eating

Other common long-term care services and supports are assistance with everyday tasks, sometimes called Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) including:

• Housework
• Managing money
• Taking medication
• Preparing and cleaning up after meals
• Shopping for groceries or clothes
• Using the telephone or other communication devices
• Caring for pets
• Responding to emergency alerts such as fire alarms

70% of people turning age 65 can expect to use some form of long-term care during their lives. There are a number of factors that affect the possibility that you will need care:

Age

• The older you are, the more likely you will need long-term care

• Women outlive men by about five years on average, so they are more likely to live at home alone when they are older

• Having an accident or chronic illness that causes a disability is another reason for needing long-term care
• Between ages 40 and 50, on average, eight percent of people have a disability that could require long-term care services
• 69 percent of people age 90 or more have a disability

• Chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure make you more likely to need care
• Your family history such as whether your parents or grandparents had chronic conditions, may increase your likelihood
• Poor diet and exercise habits increase your chances of needing long-term care

• If you live alone, you’re more likely to need paid care than if you’re married, or single, and living with a partner

The duration and level of long-term care will vary from person to person and often change over time. Here are some statistics (all are “on average”) you should consider:

• Someone turning age 65 today has almost a 70% chance of needing some type of long-term care services and supports in their remaining years
• Women need care longer (3.7 years) than men (2.2 years)
• One-third of today’s 65 year-olds may never need long-term care support, but 20 percent will need it for longer than 5 years

Long-term care services and support typically come from:

An unpaid caregiver who may be a family member or friend

• A nurse, home health or home care aide, and/or therapist who comes to the home
• Adult day services in the area
• A variety of long-term care facilities

A caregiver can be your family member, partner, friend or neighbor who helps care for you while you live at home. About 80 percent of care at home is provided by unpaid caregivers and may include an array of emotional, financial, nursing, social, homemaking, and other services. On average, caregivers spend 20 hours a week giving care. More than half (58 percent) have intensive caregiving responsibilities that may include assisting with a personal care activity, such as bathing or feeding.

 Information on caregivers show that:

About 65.7 million people in the US (one in four adults) were unpaid family caregivers to an adult or child in 2009

• About two-thirds are women
• Fourteen percent who care for older adults are themselves age 65 or more
• Most people can live at home for many years with help from unpaid family and friends, and from other paid community support

Most long-term care is provided at home. Other kinds of long-term care services and supports are provided by community service organizations and in long-term care facilities.

Examples of home care services include:

• An unpaid caregiver who may be a family member or friend
• A nurse, home health or home care aide, and/or therapist who comes to the home

Community support services include:

• Adult day care service centers
• Transportation services
• Home care agencies that provide services on a daily basis or as needed

Often these services supplement the care you receive at home or provide time off for your family caregivers.

Outside the home, a variety of facility-based programs offer more options:

• Nursing homes provide the most comprehensive range of services, including nursing care and 24-hour supervision
• Other facility-based choices include assisted living, board and care homes, and continuing care retirement communities. With these providers, the level of choice over who delivers your care varies by the type of facility.  You may not get to choose who will deliver  services, and you may have limited say in when they arrive.

Participant Directed Services are a way to provide services that lets you control what services you receive, who provides them, and how and when those services are delivered. They provide you with information and assistance to choose and plan for the services and supports that work best for you including:

• Who you want to provide your services (can include family and friends)
• Whether you want to use a home care service agency

In facility-based services you generally don’t have the option to hire someone independently, but you should have choices about:

• Which staff members provide your care
• The schedule you keep
• The meals you eat

In home and community-based settings, you should have the ability to participate or direct the development of a service plan, provide feedback on services and activities, and request changes as needed.

The facts may surprise you.

Consumer surveys reveal common misunderstandings about which public programs pay for long-term care services. It is important to clearly understand what is and isn’t covered.

• Only pays for long-term care if you require skilled services or rehabilitative care:

o   In a nursing home for a maximum of 100 days, however, the average Medicare covered stay is much shorter (22 days).
o   At home if you are also receiving skilled home health or other skilled in-home services. Generally, long-term care services are provided only for a short period of time.

• Does not pay for non-skilled assistance with Activities of Daily Living (ADL), which make up the majority of long-term care services
• You will have to pay for long-term care services that are not covered by a public or private insurance program

• Does pay for the largest share of long-term care services, but to qualify, your income must be below a certain level and you must meet minimum state eligibility requirements
• Such requirements are based on the amount of assistance you need with ADL
• Other federal programs such as the Older Americans Act and the Department of Veterans Affairs pay for long-term care services, but only for specific populations and in certain circumstances

• Most employer-sponsored or private health insurance, including health insurance plans, cover only the same kinds of limited services as Medicare
• If they do cover long-term care, it is typically only for skilled, short-term, medically necessary care

There are an increasing number of private payment options including:

• Long-term care insurance
• Reverse mortgages
• Life insurance options
• Annuities

Steps to building a Long Term Care plan in Gulfport, Biloxi, Long Beach, Ocean Springs, Hattiesburg, Jackson & Pascagoula, Mississippi as well as Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee & Florida.