Around ten million Americans today are receiving long term care services. This number is expected to increase as our population continues to age. In less than two decades, there will be 70 million people in America aged 65 and older and according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, at least 70% of them will develop a debilitating condition that would require long term care. This makes it important for us to plan. To start planning, we must have thorough understanding of our long term care options.
Types of Long Term Care
1. Skilled Care is for people who are suffering from a serious injury or illness. Services provided are focused on diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. In facilities that provide skilled care services, a licensed physician issues a care plan for a patient which, in turn, will be implemented by nurses and therapists. The physician and his staff will then monitor the health progress of the patient until such time he is discharged.
2. Intermediate Care is for people who have mild, non-fatal injuries. Like skilled care facilities, institutions that provide intermediate care also focus on rehabilitation and treatment. However, services are less intensive and a 24/7 monitoring may not be required.
3. Custodial Care refers to non-skilled care that helps people perform activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, continence and transferring. At least 70% of long term care recipients need custodial care. This type of care is not covered by typical health insurance plan including Medicare, the social insurance program for people aged 65 and older. People who want to have coverage for this need must have long term care insurance.
If you are interested in buying long term care insurance, you can get a free, no-obligation quote at www.altcp.org. The website also has wide range of information for people who wants to plan for long term care and want to know more about their available long term care options.