Planning for Long-Term Care in Advance
You know that you’re going to grow old. But you’ll never know when or if chronic illness might hit. This puts an emphasis on the importance of planning for long-term care.
It’s important to have assisted living in mind even before you completely lose your mobility or that your sickness keeps you from living independently.
How to Plan for Long-Term Care
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Long-term care services vary in terms of distribution and duration. In general, any services can be used on an average of 3 years.
Assisted living usually lasts less than one year, while long-term care in nursing facilities and any care in facilities last 1 year.
At home, unpaid care is suitable for 1 year, paid care for less than 1 year, and any care at home for 2 years.
It’s important to consider whether or not you want long-term care at home, or at a nursing facility.
Care at Home
Say you’ve decided to receive long-term care in your own home. Make sure that your house has the capacity to best support your needs.
If you can no longer fully care for yourself, your home should be equipped with the necessary gadgets and tools.
- Hearing gadgets such as a vibrating watch and vibrating alerts for when the telephone rings or when the fire alarm sounds.
- Vision gadgets such as a magnifying glass and screens.
- Safety gadgets such as railings in the tub, in the hallway, and near the toilet.
Plan for Your Health
Staying healthy will go along way toward making sure you won’t need long-term care anytime in the near the future. Healthy eating, regular physical activity, and avoiding drinking and smoking are the best ways to delay or prevent chronic illness.
Still, it pays to be prepared for when you become seriously ill or disabled. Talk to your family about who will provide care if you need it in the long-term.
You should also speak to your doctor about your medical and family history, so you’ll know if you need long-term care sooner or later.
Take Care of the Financial Details in Advance
Billions of dollars are spent every year on various long-term care services. It is important to have a plan as to how you can pay for these expensive needs.
There are several payment sources and options available:
- Government health insurance programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid
- Private financing options, such as long-term care insurance
- Personal funds, including pensions, savings, and income from stocks
- Services through the Older Americans Act
- Veterans’ benefits
Find out which payment option is applicable to you and prepare accordingly.
Tackle the Subject of Long-Term Care
A lot of people find it difficult to talk about long-term care, much less make a decision on how to go about it.
But it is important that you sit down with relatives and discuss the details. Spare yourself and your family from the pressure and stress that come with the need to make an immediate decision.
A sudden injury that catches everyone off guard will create major confusion.
- Some family members may not approve of assisted living while others do.
- Some family members who agree to home care may not readily agree to be the designated caregiver.
- The family might not be prepared financially and emotionally to deal with your long-term care needs.
As you can see, planning ahead has many benefits.
Oxbow Living offers Assisted Living & Memory Care out of Nebraska and to the Surrounding Cities: Ashland, South Bend, Greenwood, Murdock, Elmwood, Ithaca, Mead
