A look at Long Term Care services

What is Long Term Care?

Long Term Care is the help individuals receive when unable to independently perform day to day living activities, such as eating, dressing, bathing, toileting, and transferring. The person needing assistance is also expected to have an on going need for this help over a prolonged period. The American Society of Aging reports 60% to 70% of Americans who live to age 65 will require long term care services at some time.

In the industry these services are called assistance with activities of daily living. (ADL)

Where/How will these Long Term Care services be received?

The most common location, by far, for people to receive help is in their home where they want to be. Home based assistance could be every couple days or around the clock. The level of care can range from a Homemaker, sometimes called a Companion, to help around the house; a Home Health Aide to provide non medical help with bathing, dressing, etc; intermediate assistance, an individual with more training, to periodically provide more medical related help; to an RN to provide more extensive help.

Community based services include Adult Day health service programs where the individual goes to a center, receives some assistance, and can interact with others. This is a good option so the regular care giver can rest or go to work. Adult Day health service providers often have transportation to take individuals to and from their home.

When more extensive help is needed an individual can move to an assisted living facility. They provide a private room, meals in a common area, a range of services, and are a good transition from a private home. Assisted Living provides important socializing and is quite popular.

When more complex medical assistance is needed e.g. nursing services around the clock, they can be provided in a nursing home.

Note: Long Term Care services are not just used by people in their later years. Over 40 percent of those now using these services are between 18 and 64!

What about long term care services in the future?

The kind of services we now have will become harder to find! Why? More and more people will need help and there will be a shortage of home and community professionals to provide care.. One important development, which will help with the shortage of professionals, is the use of technology. The Center for Aging Services Technology, a non profit association of foundations. academic and applied researchers, and other health and social service providers, has developed two useful and insightful videos:

• The Imagine - the Future of Aging (9 minutes) provides insights from a family network of care givers and how technology is being used to keep a person safe and to maintain independence.
• Transforming an Aging Nation discusses coming ideas to improved long term care services so a person will not be isolated.

What are my chances of needing Long Term Care services?

These specifics illustrate why 88% of people are worried about physical limits in a later life stage:

• Over 80% of us know someone now receiving help with daily life activities because "parts wore out" or they were having trouble with mental ability.
• 70% or more of us will need help by age 75 since individuals have on average 2 or 3 chronic conditions and in some cases as high as 10 or 12!
• Think about the accident Christopher Reeves had several years ago. It reminds us "Life Happens" situations can occur at any time. There is good news about aging - we are living longer. For example:
  • A person born today will live 30 years longer than someone born in 1900.
  • The number of individuals 85 and older increased 300% between 1950 and 2000.

There is also bad news about a longer life. The human body is imperfect so there is a big price for living longer - frailty! As longevity increases the likelihood of needing very expensive assistance in a later stage of life becomes much higher. Frailty often lasts a long time.

What do Long Term Care services cost here in Connecticut?

An April 2008 survey reports a Homemaker coming to your home in the Hartford area can range from $16 to $22 an hour. The services of a certified home health aide - if you were to need help say 3 times a week for eight hours can range from $920 to over $1,500 a week. On average this limited amount of assistance could be over $10,000 a month in just 15 years!

Note: A shortage of home help now exists and will become even more extensive thus it will become even more expensive to hire quality care.

Assisted Living costs up to $5,000 a month for a Hartford area facility and to $6,200 in the Stanford area.

Nursing home costs in Connecticut are next to the highest in the U.S! In the Hartford area they can be up to over $11,500 a month. (private room) The Connecticut Partnership program reports the annual cost of a semi private Nursing Home now averages $113,000.

Note: Today's service rates are forecast to double in 15 years!

What about Medicare and other insurance. Don't they cover long term care services?

If a severe auto accident; sporting activity injury; or a complicated illness happens when an individual has employer or individual medical insurance it just pays the expenses you have related to getting well. This is acute care and it's normally only needed for a short period e.g. in a hospital followed by therapy in a rehabilitation facility or at home. Coverage for acute care however stops when an individual is no longer improving. Even when an MD says help is still needed caring for yourself.

When we are 65 plus? Individuals can enroll in Medicare which is also medical insurance so it just covers acute care. Medicare does cover skilled care such as physical therapy in a rehab facility but for only 20 days in full if it follows being in a hospital. In addition, the person must continue to make progress toward recovering each day. Even though 54% incorrectly think Medicare covers help to assist the patient on an ongoing basis - it does not!

Thus, whether under or over 65, help with an on going chronic condition(s), or what is called custodial care, is not covered by medical insurance.

More information can be found on:

The value of Long Term Care insurance - see the Value of LTCi page.

The importance of early planning - see the Value of Early Planning page

Connecticut employers - some points to help understand the value in having Long Term Care insurance as an employee benefit is on the LTCi in the Workplace page.

Want to talk about all this? Call John C Parker [860.739.0005] Its important to set up a plan so you won't burden family and can protect your nest egg.