How Long-Term Care Progresses for the Typical Patient
published 1/21/2016
Long-term care exists along a continuum, with many patients initially requiring only modest or occasional services and then progressing to increasingly more intensive stages of care.
Forbes recently outlined that continuum for their readers. It looks something like this:
- In-home help from family and friends
- In-home health care aides (professionals you hire to help the patient in his or her own home)
- Adult day care centers
- Assisted living facilities
- Nursing homes
- Hospice (typically for palliative care)
No two individuals progress in exactly the same manner, of course, and not everyone will stop at every stage. Most seniors prefer to stay in their homes for as long as possible, but for many, the need for around-the-clock care eventually necessitates transition to a custodial care facility.
Along the way, there are plenty of doctor’s visits and occasional trips to the hospital as well. All of these things come at quite a cost.
Indeed, expense is a concern at each of the six stages and everywhere in between. To step back and put a price tag on the whole continuum is staggering. Long-term care can cost well over $100,000 a year and last for the better part of a decade.
This is reality for millions of Americans, whether we’re talking about the seniors themselves or the family members who are chipping in to take care of them. It’s an almost untenable situation — one we might all find ourselves in someday.
The good news is that proactive measures can significantly ease the burden. As Canton elder law attorneys, we help Ohioans plan for the eventual costs of long-term care every day, customizing creative and affordable solutions that foster peace of mind.
If you’d like to talk about plans for your future, we’re here to help. It’s an easy phone call — probably one of the most important ones you’ll ever make. Give us a call today.