Expert advice on planning for your own or a relative’s future care needs As we live longer and healthier lives, planning for the long term has never been more important. Planning gives you more control, but it’s not easy to find accurate information and answers to your questions. That’s where AARP’s Planning For Long-Term Care For Dummies comes in. This comprehensive guide gives you questions to ask yourself and others about how best to achieve your goals, whether you have immediate needs or can take some time to sort out the possibilities. The book Covers home modifications so that you can stay at home safely for as long as you like Lays out the opportunities and costs associated with independent living, assisted living, and other options Gives you a range of driving and transportation alternatives Sorts out the various sources of care at home Helps you navigate the healthcare system Reviews the legal documents you should prepare and update Helps you determine whether you need long-term care insurance Offers checklists and other resources to help you make decisions Gives you guidance on how to talk to your family about sensitive issues If you're looking for trusted information on how to prepare for the future care needs for yourself or a relative, this sensitive, realistic, and authoritative guide will start you on the right road.

Among the issues confronting America is long-term care for frail, older persons and others with chronic conditions and functional limitations that limit their ability to care for themselves. Improving the Quality of Long-Term Care takes a comprehensive look at the quality of care and quality of life in long-term care, including nursing homes, home health agencies, residential care facilities, family members and a variety of others. This book describes the current state of long-term care, identifying problem areas and offering recommendations for federal and state policymakers. Who uses long-term care? How have the characteristics of this population changed over time? What paths do people follow in long term care? The committee provides the latest information on these and other key questions. This book explores strengths and limitations of available data and research literature especially for settings other than nursing homes, on methods to measure, oversee, and improve the quality of long-term care. The committee makes recommendations on setting and enforcing standards of care, strengthening the caregiving workforce, reimbursement issues, and expanding the knowledge base to guide organizational and individual caregivers in improving the quality of care.

Long-term care services include a broad range of services that meet the needs of frail older people and other adults with functional limitations. Long-Term care services provided by paid, regulated providers are a significant component of personal health care spending in the United States. This report presents descriptive results from the first wave of the National Study of Long-Term Care Providers (NSLTCP), which was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). This report provides information on the supply, organizational characteristics, staffing, and services offered by providers of long-term care services; and the demographic, health, and functional composition of users of these services. Service users include residents of nursing homes and residential care communities, patients of home health agencies and hospices, and participants of adult day services centers.

Comprehensive overview of every kind of long-term care service; how to decide which option is best for you or your loved one; everything you need to know about your financial options.

The “gray tsunami” of baby boomers keeps rolling along. The U.S. Census Bureau predicts the youngest members of this generation born from 1946-1964 will turn sixty-five by 2030. With 73 million members, boomers account for 21.45% of the U.S. population. This generation is already having a massive impact on senior living. In 2015, about 8.3 million Americans required some form of long-term care. Unfortunately, that care doesn’t come cheaply. Annual costs can run into thousands of dollars for many families. Yet, adequate planning for these potential costs often gets overlooked. This eBook stresses the importance of planning for long-term care costs and provides information on several funding alternatives. Armed with this knowledge, older adults and their families can formulate plans that will lead to better health decisions and greater peace of mind.

The basic motivators will drive people to want to learn more about this topic—fear, money, and insecurity. Consumers fear losing their life savings to LTC costs. Yet, they hesitate to buy insurance with an annual premium of $1,800 without knowing what it covers. In October of 2002 (one month after this book's release), the federal government will be rolling out a payroll deduction plan whereby all government employees and retirees (approximately 18 million people) will have the same opportunity to save for their long-term care needs as they currently have for their 401(k).