Planning For Your Long-Term Care

If you are 65 or over, there’s nearly a 70 percent chance that you’ll need long-term care services, in some form, in your lifetime. The length and type of care vary among individuals, but many American seniors will need assistance at home or in a facility at some point.

Even though long-term care is necessary for so many, it’s a complex subject that is often misunderstood. Instead of waiting until you need care, it’s important to understand long-term care now and how to benefit from developing a care plan.

What Is Long-Term Care?

Long-term care is an individual’s plan for health, medical, and personal care needs as they age. It’s a broad term encompassing many types of services or support systems, but ultimately, it’s whatever you need to continue living a safe, quality life as you age.

Benefits of Long-Term Care Planning

Long-term care planning is simply putting together a plan that outlines the type of care you’ll want and need as you age. Creating a care plan may seem unimportant if you’re not yet anticipating care, but there are many benefits to long-term care planning.

• Set yourself up for care in case of an emergency. Health emergencies, like a heart attack, stroke, or fall, can happen unexpectedly. Having a plan in place can ensure you receive the care you deserve in case of an emergency.
• Remove stress from yourself and loved ones. It can be stressful for loved ones to set up care for you, especially if they don’t know your wishes. Care plans outline what you want, need, and can afford, removing much stress from family and friends.
• Ensure you receive the type and quality of care you deserve. If you want a certain type of care when you age, like home care, making a plan that shares your desires can ensure you get it.

Creating Your Long-Term Care Plan

Your long-term care plan doesn’t have to be a complex document or official statement about your plans. However, it should include basics like the type of care, when it should start, and how you’ll pay for it.

Planning

Part of planning is deciding when you want your care plan to start. Some people's long-term care starts when they reach a certain age or retirement. Others may decide to begin their care plan in case of a health emergency, like a heart attack or stroke.

There’s no right or wrong time to start long-term care. It’s about what’s best for you and your needs. However, it is important to consider and plan care options before needing them in an emergency.

Services

Your care plan can include any care or services you want as you age. Common types of care services include:

• Home care: At-home care services can include medical and non-medical care provided at your home.
• Residential or community care: You can live in a senior living community or assisted living facility, where nurses and aids are on hand to help you.
• Medical care: Depending on your health, you may live in a facility with round-the-clock medical care.

Costs

Long-term care can be expensive, so it’s essential to understand how you’ll pay for it when it comes. Depending on the type of care, all or part of your care may be covered by your insurance or a federal or state program such as Medicare or Medicaid. The best first step is to talk to your insurance or contact any assistance programs to understand what costs are covered for your care.

There will likely be some outside costs you’ll need to cover. This can come from personal funds, including savings, pensions, investments, or retirement funds. You can talk to a financial advisor, such as Next Phase Advisors, to learn how to pay for care and start saving and growing your money to have the funds when needed.

Long-Term Care With Visiting Angels

Visiting Angels is a locally owned and operated home care agency providing at-home care to seniors so they can live safely and comfortably at home. We offer a variety of services, including companion care and personal care. We also have specialized services such as dementia care and transitional care for seniors returning home after a hospital stay.

Contact our Cullman office to learn more about our at-home care services.