What is a Long-Term Care Plan?
The purpose of a long-term care plan is to help us live as independently as possible for as long as possible. Most importantly, it is recognition of the fact that as we age there is a chance we will have a debilitating health situation which may require care over a period of years, which may have significant negative implications for loved ones. While this is not a pleasant thought, yet it is not justification for avoiding the preparation if ever there is a need for care.
A plan of care is a guide for loved ones. It includes preferences on several topics related to a care situation. It is a roadmap to follow whatever the healthcare journey of aging may bring. It’s about legacy – not being a burden to loved ones, and peace of mind for all concerned.
Why A Long-Term Care Plan?
The statistics speak for themselves.
- 70% of people age 65 and older at some time in their life will require some long-term care services
U.S. Dept. Health and Human Services, Sept. 2008
- 68% chance people 65 and older will become disabled in at least two activities of daily living (bathing, dressing, eating, continence, toileting, and transferring) or become cognitively impaired.
AARP, Beyond 50: A report to the nation on independent living and disability, 2003
The numbers alone usually will not ignite the incentive to begin the planning process. My experience reveals what gets our attention is when a family member, friend, neighbor or an acquaintance receives a diagnosis, suffers a stroke or heart attack or the effects of old age diminish the ability to perform normal daily tasks. Oftentimes, that is when we become more realistic about facing our own possible future frailty and the likelihood of our need for long-term care services sometime down the road.
If long-term care is required, lives of the care recipients’ family can be changed dramatically – and usually not for the best. Consequently, the primary reason we do long-term care planning is for loved ones.
Benefits of a Long-Term Care Plan Include:
- leaves a positive legacy
- lessens emotional, financial and physical stress
- increases chance care recipient remains in own home
- reduces feelings of guilt and helplessness among loved ones
Simply stated, a long-term care plan is for peace of mind – for all individuals that would be affected by your need for care. Responsible people who love someone have a long-term care plan not because they expect to need care but because of the consequences to those they love if they ever did.