What Is Long Term Care?
Long term care is the type of care you receive when you cannot care for yourself. You may need care for a chronic illness or disability, mental impairment, or as a result of an accident or injury. Care needed may be temporary or permanent. Long term care can be provided in your home, a community based facility such as an adult day care center, or in a nursing home.
Care consists of three (3) levels:
1. Skilled Care - daily nursing or rehabilitative care performed by a licensed healthcare professional. Care must be under the direction of a physician.
2. Intermediate Care - rehabilitative care - occasional nursing or rehabilitative care given by a licensed healthcare professional under the direction of a physician.
3. Custodial Care - personal care to help with Activities of Daily Living (ADL's). The ADL's are bathing, dressing, transferring, toileting, continence, and eating. This care is usually provided by the nursing staff or health aides, under a physician's supervision.
Who Provides Long Term Care?
- Nursing Homes
- Assisted Living Care Facilities
- Adult Day Care Centers
- Home Health Care Agencies
- Hospice Facilities
- Community Services
- Family and Friends
Who Pays for Long Term Care?
- Medicaid……….…...69%
- Out-of-pocket……....21%
- Private Insurance…...3%
- Medicare…………….7%
Who Needs Long Term Care?
76% of people surveyed by the Gallup Poll Organization do not expect to need long term care in the future. However,
- at present, more than 1.5 million Americans live in assisted living care facilities.
- 40%, or two out of every five Americans, will need nursing home care sometime in their life.
- 75% of nursing home residents over age 65 are women.
- 70% of couples can expect one partner to need nursing home care.
- most people will not be prepared.1
1 American Health Care Association, September 1998