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Studies show that roughly 70 percent of individuals aged 65 or older will require long-term care at some point.

But determining just when a loved one may need long-term care can be difficult both mentally as well as emotionally. To help make things easier, here are some key factors to look for when determining if your loved one could benefit from long-term care:

1. Recent Accidents

Accidents and medical scares are a key indicator that your loved one may need additional help. Falls, fender-benders or car accidents, mismanaging prescriptions can all be scary and stressful for loved ones, caregivers, and everyone involved.

Has your loved one been suffering more falls lately? If you’re not sure, have you noticed them trying to cover or hide bruises and scrapes?

According to the National Council On Aging, “one in every four Americans aged 65+ falls each year.” While it’s easy to trip and fall for anyone regardless of age, to the elderly, it can be especially painful as well as concerning. Unlike younger individuals, the bodies of seniors are increasingly frail and prone to experiencing more cuts, bruising, bone breaks and fractures. When combined with any pre-existing medical conditions and oftentimes the inability to heal as quickly as they once may have, some falls can even prove fatal.

2. Increasing Difficulty Managing Daily Activities

With age, daily activities can be harder to manage. Sometimes referred to as “activities of daily living” or ADLs, these are the daily activities that we often do without thinking— but to an elderly person, these same activities might be more difficult than before. They include:

• Dressing
• Bathing
• Shopping
• Laundry
• Medication management
• Cleaning

If you suspect your loved one is having increased difficulty with any of these things, or perhaps other daily activities that previously gave them no problem (such as managing finances), expressing your concern is important. When in doubt, consulting with a doctor, or geriatric consultant or expert may be able to offer some suggestions on how to make things easier on your loved one or suggest a functional assessment to determine just where your loved one’s skill level may be at.

3. Personal Care and Hygiene

When your usually-put-together loved one starts to look a bit more unkempt, it may be a sign of more just the average “off-day.” As people get older, they may run into more difficulty dealing with, not just the above mentioned daily activities, but also activities relating to their overall hygiene and personal care.

If you’ve noticed your loved one not quite looking like themselves lately it may be worth mentioning it to them to see what they say. Other changes such as sudden weight gain or loss should also be noted as this could be a sign of over or under eating. This may not be complete accidental as your loved one could be forgetting when they last ate.

Changes in body odor could also be a sign of difficulty bathing, depression, or other health problems that may require medical attention and be a sign of a larger problem.

4. Signs of Lax Housekeeping

With age can come mobility issues, arthritis, lessening senses of touch, smell, vision, and more. This combined with memory problems can sometimes lead to basic housekeeping issues and may be a sign for a housekeeping to be hired or other long-term care solutions to be explored. Things to look for include:

• Stacks of unopened mail
• Missed bills or payment deadlines
• Thank you letters from charities not previously given to
• Bugs
• Expired food
• Unnecessary multiples of same food items
• Bathroom and kitchen grime: toilet, counters, floors, showers, musty towels
• Wearing the same clothes every time you visit
• Inappropriate clothing with holes, rips, and tears
• Piled up miscellaneous clutter
• Accumulation of takeout or delivery boxes and containers

5. Animals That Appear Neglected

Does your loved one have a pet? Studies show that elderly individuals who have a pet have a higher quality of living. According to AgingCare.com, “pets can help reduce stress, lower blood pressure, increase social interaction and physical activity and help them learn” they can also help to reduce depression (something very common in the elderly) and lessen loneliness.

But what happens when it becomes apparent that your loved one’s faithful furry friend isn’t getting quite the attention it needs? Things to look for that may be an indication your loved may be having problems caring for their pet include:

• No food or water
• Potty accidents throughout the house (could be a sign of not going out for walks)
• Matted fur
• Changes in weight (could be an indication of not enough or too little food)

If any of the problems are present, it may be worth looking into having someone come to the house and attend to your loved one’s pet or moving your loved one into a facility that will help them care for their animal.

6. Caregiver Burnout

Caring for an aging loved one can be a difficult task to undertake and there may come a point where you find that you just can’t do it anymore. This is nothing to be ashamed of. Unfortunately, Caregiver Burnout is real and can happen to anyone who is caring for a loved one and who willingly undertakes additional daily stress. Caring for an elderly loved one is an admirable and noble undertaking but it is equally admirable to able to be able to take a step back and admit when you need help or, admit when you can no longer administer the care and attention that your loved one needs on a daily basis.

If you find yourself experiencing any of the following signs or symptoms, it may be time to look into other Long-Term Care options:

• Withdrawal from friends and family
• Loss of interest in activities previously enjoyed
• Feeling blue, irritable, hopeless, and helpless
• Changes in appetite, weight, or both
• Changes in sleep patterns
• Getting sick more often
• Feelings of wanting to hurt yourself or the person for whom you are caring
• Emotional and physical exhaustion
• Excessive use of alcohol and/or sleep medications

7. Escalating Care Needs

Similar to the above point, there may come a point where you can no longer provide the necessary medical attention that your loved one may require. The progression of chronic or pre-existing health problems, a slow recovery from a previous illness or injury, as well as a sudden onset or worsening of a condition, may also be signs that your loved one may need increased medical assistance.

In cases such as these, it may be worth looking into having a nurse come and check on your loved one periodically or a more drastic measure (depending upon the severity of the condition) may be to move your loved one into a nursing or assisted living facility for long-term care.

Planning For The Future                                                                                      

According to an article from Forbes, “A private room in a nursing home now costs consumers more than $8,000 per month, or $97,455 per year, according to the report, which provides national median figures. That’s an increase of 5.5 from just one year ago and a nearly 50% increase since 2004. A semi-private room is less expensive, but still carries a hefty price tag: $85,775 per year.”

Assisted living facilities are more affordable but the national average for a private room will still run approximately $45k a year— which is actually proving to be more affordable than in-home health aids ($49,192) and standard homemaker-type services (47,934), according to the Genworth 2017 Cost of Care Study.

With the yearly cost of Long-Term Care only continuing to rise, Long-Term Care insurance can help both you and your family cover the cost of your care should you need it in the future.

To learn more about what Long-Term Care Insurance can do for you, please visit www.fcachiro.memberbenefits.com/long-term-care/ for more information.

To find an aging life care expert in your area, please visit www.aginglifecare.org.

Did you know that 70% of people over 65 will require some care at some point in their lives? Nearly 44% of early and late Baby Boomers and Gen Xers are expected to fall short of meeting their basic financial needs in retirement – that is including their nursing home or home health needs. Based on these statistics it appears that a very large portion of us are entirely unprepared for retirement. Long-term care insurance can help ease the financial and emotional burden on you and your loved ones.

Why is it that so many of us do not purchase long-term care insurance? Let’s dispel the myths!

My life savings will cover it.
Once long-term care is needed, the average American loses their entire life savings within nine months. The average American between the ages of 55 and 64 will have accumulated about $104, 000 in retirement savings. $417,900 is the approximate average cost for 5 years in a skilled nursing home faculty. Many families will struggle with this often unforeseen expense.

I’m too young.
You are never too young. This isn’t something you should look at in your sixties – for most people, the best time to buy may be in their mid-to-late 50s. Applying at a younger age can provide you with the ability to save money and have the best chance of getting approved for coverage. By waiting you risk paying higher premiums, needing to buy more coverage and paying future rates.

It will never happen to me.
Young or old, LTC insurance picks up where your health insurance leaves off. Long-term care insurance is not for only nursing home coverage, the ultimate goal is to help pay for alternatives, to keep you out of nursing homes for as long as possible!

The most common causes for LTC include…   

• Auto & motorcycle accidents
• Activities like skiing, horse-back riding, diving
• Extreme sports: fractures, falls
• Stroke & heart attack
• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Arthritis & Osteoporosis
• Alzheimer, Parkinson & MS
• The aging process

It is covered by traditional health insurance or government programs like Medicare.
It is very important to understand the limitations of Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare focus’ on cure versus care. It covers doctors, skilled care and hospitals. Medicaid pays health care for the poor. Many are not “eligible” and some must “spend down” their assets to qualify. Medicaid will typically only pay for care in a nursing home. For more in-depth information on long-term care, watch our webinar or visit www.fcachiro.memberbenefits.com to request a quote.

If you have any questions regarding long-term care, our benefits counselors are here to help!

<sup>Sources
* US Census Bureau
* Social Security Administration
* The National Bureau of Economic Research
* UCSF Research 
* Forbes</sup>

The holidays will be here before we know it, and for many, this time of the year presents the opportunity to gather with family and loved ones. Specifically, if you have a loved one who you’ve been meaning to speak with about long-term care, the holidays could be the ideal time for you to do so. Of course, having the conversation with a loved one about long-term care isn’t always easy, which is why there are important guidelines to keep in mind before you initiate the discussion.

There are a number of different insurance options that can assist you and your family if you become impaired or disabled. Two of the most popular options are long-term disability and long-term care. Both of these are designed to protect your assets and interests in distinctive ways, so knowing the differences between the two is key in determining how each one can be beneficial to meet your needs.

When considering retirement plans, long-term care coverage shouldn’t be overlooked. The cost of long-term care is exorbitant — figures from 2010 estimated that a semi-private room in a nursing home can cost more than $6,200 per month, with private rooms costing over $6,900. An assisted living facility in 2010 could cost as much as $3,300 per month. And those rates are only going up in the future. Seniors without long-term care insurance are left paying these high monthly bills out of pocket, often depleting their retirement savings, which took decades to build, within only a few years.

The time to start thinking about long-term care insurance isn’t when you’re ill and in need of either home health care or a nursing home. By then, it will be too late. Unfortunately, many people in situations very similar to yours overlook the importance of long-term care insurance, assuming it’s something they won’t need for many years to come or even need at all.

In the landscape of family issues, few topics are more difficult to approach than that of aging parents. Regardless of your economic background or your relationship with your parents, these topics prove to be difficult for individuals across the board. One of the reasons that these topics are so difficult to address is because of the strong emotions that are often attached to the idea of our parents aging and possibly needing our help. When parents begin to age, there is a role reversal for parents and kids that can be, at best, uneasy. However, there are more important issues at stake than our mere comfort levels when it comes to keeping our parents or other aging family members’ best interests in mind. One of the best places to start preparing for these tough conversations is to identify the topics that need addressing.