What is Long-Term Care?

So often, I have clients who do not completely understand what Long-Term care is. Many think that it is having been hospitalized. In some cases, long-term care can occur after a hospital stay if the patient health is not improving.

When you think of a hospital stay, you may have an operation or an ailment such as pneumonia. These conditions may vary well improve and you can go on taking care of yourself. Long-Term care comes in when you have a situation where you need help with the activities of daily living.

These activities are eating, bathing, dressing, transferring, incontinence and walking. Long-Term care is needed when you have a chronic illness or disability that causes you to need assistance with Activities of Daily Living. Your illness or disability could include a problem with memory loss, confusion, or disorientation. (This is called Cognitive Impairment and can result from conditions such as Alzheimer's disease.)

In 2008, about nine million Americans over the age of 65 will need long-term care services. By 2020, that number will increase to twelve million. Most people who need long-term care are age 65 or older, a person can need long-term care services at any age. Forty (40) percent of people currently receiving long-term care are adults 18 to 64 years old.

No one knows when they will require assistance, but the chances of needing care increase as we age. Medical science, new prescription drugs help us live longer today.

You are younger and healthier today than you will ever be. This is the right time to look more closely at a good long-term care plan. Speak with a Long-Term Care insurance specialist today!