What Is Long Term Care?

Long term care refers to custodial care received continuously for three months or longer.

When many people heare the term "long term care", they immediately think "nursing home", but long term care actually refers to a wide range of services provided to those with a chronic illness or disability. Long term care consists primarily of custodial care (not medical care) and involves assistance with the most basic and personal activities of daily life - the simple things we do every day when we get up: getting out of bed, going to the bathroom, bathing, dressing, and eating. However, long term care can also include help with secondary tasks such as assistance with cooking and cleaning. Long term care also includes the supervision often necessary for those with cognitive impairment.

Long term care differs from other types of health care in that the goal of long term care is not to cure an illness, but to allow an individual to attain and maintain an optimal level of functioning. Although most of us think about needing this kind of care in our twilight years, the truth is that people can become incapacitated due to injury or illness at any age. Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson's at age 30 and ex-Superman, Christopher Reeve, was paralyzed at age 43. Regardless, most of us think about this as the kind of care we will naturally need as we become frail with age.

Although long term care has been traditionally provided by family members, most retirees today do not want to become a burden on their spouses, siblings, and children. They prefer to remain independent and at home for as long as possible. Of course, paying for the assistance needed to do this is expensive. This is whey many have found incorporating long term care insurance into their retirement plan the most prudent way to maintain their independence and protect their assets from the high cost of long term care.

How Much Money Can You Save On Long Term Care Insurance?

Find out what discounts you can apply for and how much money you can save with a FREE no-obligation long term care insurance quote from the nation's top-rated long term care insurance companies.