A recent news article brought up some very important issues and concerns related to elder care. Elder care is the part of law that has to do with wills and trusts, Medicaid planning, long-term care planning and durable powers of attorney, among many other things. It basically has to do with planning out a financial and medical roadmap for an aging person’s future.
When we are capable of being independent and able to take care of ourselves, we may not even think about what the future holds. But according to the United States government, at least 70 percent of individuals in our country who are 65 and older will someday need long-term care. And many people do not realize that this number is so high.
Some of our readers may not be particularly clear as to what long-term care actually means. Long-term care is all the care that a person may need when they can no longer take care of themselves or be independent. This may mean help with making meals, running errands, dressing and even bathing. They are basically the activities that people perform day in and day out. Where do you plan to turn when you are no longer able to be independent?
A survey of people showed a variety of answers. Some 45 percent of respondents said they would turn to someone in the family who is not a child. After that, 31 percent of respondents said they would turn to a child. Other responses included turning to paid help, turning to friends, or other. Still others simply answered that they did not have anyone who they could turn to for help.
In our next post we will continue our discussion of long-term care and the misconceptions people have about it.