giovedì 28 gennaio 2010

Long Term Care And Things Everyone Should Know

By Bob Dill

No one intends to get hurt, and everyone expects to get old. But with the growing number of elderly people, and with the relevance of long term care changing constantly, it is very important to know what might be in your future. How prepared are you? And what do you need to know before the worst case scenario happens?

It's a terrible thing to one day be a self sufficient adult and the next find yourself relying on the kindnesses and help of others to do very simple things. Long term care is about just that, helping people who are no longer able to help themselves in some of the smallest ways possible. It includes a variety of services for those who are disabled and those who are elderly, and these services can be of a medical nature or not. Dressing, bathing and using the bathroom are things many people take for granted.

Many people try not to think about the worst case scenario or what will happen to them when they get old. However, these people also wrongly think that the government will take care of them and cover all of their costs. Even in the most progressive European countries, this simply isn't the case, and care for the elderly or permanently disabled falls on volunteers or if someone is fortunate, relatives willing to take the time to help.

In the United States, Medicaid eligibility is dependent on a person's resources and income. Medicare does not cover custodial or unskilled care provided by family or friends. Many Nordic countries now have programs in place to provide some sort of financial compensation to those who tend to the elderly or disabled, even if they are relatives. Some of these programs even include pensions. However, North American countries don't have this luxury just yet.

Twelve million Americans require long term care. Five million of these people are of an adult age that is typically a part of the workforce. It's not something people typically plan for, though they have no challenge insuring their homes, their cars, their lives. It isn't hard to prepare for the future and ensure that should long term care become important, it's available.

One of the first things to know is that the sooner a person begins to provide for future long term care insurance, the better. In their fifties, most people are still fit enough to pass a medical if one is necessary. Premium costs are also lower and this is pretty important, as a typical stay in a long term facility is $150 a day. Another thing to know is that once you are locked in on a plan, should your health change, your premiums won't. A third thing to bear in mind when planning future long term care is that there is typically an elimination period. For the first sixty or ninety days of care, the policy will not be there. It doesn't kick in until after this period. Be prepared financially to bear that burden until the policy comes into play.

The population of the elderly is growing substantially. But with this growth comes a larger amount of information available to help people prepare for the worst case scenario. No one wants to get sick or become so aged that they can't take care of simple daily tasks themselves. However, it is a possibility, and one that can be planned for appropriately if you know what to expect if it happens to you.

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