Need for long-term care doesn’t always depend on age

By Rosi Heins, University of Minnesota Extension

ST. PAUL, Minn. (9/24/2007) — The majority of people who need long-term care are elderly, but the need can come at any age. Younger people need long-term care because of disabling diseases, car accidents, AIDS, brain injuries, strokes and other disabling events.

Of the 12 million people in the U.S. who say they need assistance with daily living activities, 57 percent are age 65 and older. The remaining are working adults, or children. People 80 and older have the highest rate of disability at 72 percent. The disability rate is 8 percent for those under 15 years of age.

Options for financing long-term care will change and evolve in the future, but this doesn’t mean you can’t plan ahead. Those who plan will be better able to understand changes, weigh the options and make decisions to help achieve what is most important.

In Minnesota, you can  find information on long-term care options and financing on the University of Minnesota Extension website, http://www.financinglongtermcare.umn.edu/. The Minnesota Board on Aging also has helpful resources. Their website is www.mnaging.org, or phone the Senior Linkage Line at (800) 333-2433.

According to a national survey, only half of adult children had ever discussed long-term care with their parents. Only 28 percent of parents had discussed long-term care with their adult children. This lack of family discussion is a significant challenge in long term-care planning.

The effect of one person’s long-term care risk on other members of the family should be part of the talk. Family member ages, gender, current health status and family history should play a role in developing risk protection strategies for the family as a whole. Talking about different expectations and beliefs can help avoid misunderstandings, wrong assumptions and conflicts.

Keep in mind states have different policies and practices regarding long term care financing options and long-term care services. Medicaid, or as it’s called in Minnesota, Medical Assistance, policies differ significantly from state to state as do long-term care programs. Long- term care insurance is regulated by each state with differences in consumer protection options and state-specific information.

If you are in need of information you can trust, contact the state Health Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program (called SHIP for short). Medicare information sites will help you locate this resource.

Any use of this article must include the byline or following credit line:
Rosemary Heins is a family resource management educator with University of Minnesota Extension.

Contacts: Contacts: Rosemary Heins, U of M Extension (763) 767-3879; Julie Christensen, U of M Extension, (612) 626-4077, reuve007@umn.edu

URL: http:// www.extension.umn.edu/extensionnews/2007/2007longtermcare.html  This page was updated Sept. 24, 2007 .
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