1. SEPTEMBER 2011
A Long-Term Care Primer
Although your retirement savings — and your
family — can be affected profoundly by market
volatility or another recession, the need for long-
term care can be even more catastrophic. No
matter what triggers the need for care — a
specific illness, an accident or age-related
frailty — the financial and emotional costs
Brian D LaHue can be significant for long-term care
Financial Representative recipients and their caregivers.
(812) 738-2198 WHAT IS LONG-TERM CARE?
As Americans grow older, many suffer from
blahue@lincolninvestment.com
chronic illnesses, physical disabilities or cognitive impairments. Such conditions create a need
for assistance with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, preparing meals and other tasks —
that assistance is called long-term care.
WHO NEEDS LONG-TERM CARE?
Average Daily Cost
Many Americans are expected to need long-term care at some point in their lives:1
of Long-Term Care
$215
• 40 percent of all people receiving long-term care are ages 18 to 64
Nursing home (semi-private)
• 40 percent of older people will need care in a nursing home
Assisted living facility
$194
Home healthcare • 70 percent of people over age 65 are expected to need long-term care services
$190
$180
WHO PAYS FOR LONG-TERM CARE?
One-third of adults believe that private health insurance, Medicare or Medicaid will cover long-
$168
$147
term care costs. This is false. Long-term care costs are primarily paid out-of-pocket by the
$160
individuals who receive the care or their families.1
$144
For long-term care recipients:2 For family caregivers:2
• $14,000 spent out-of-pocket, on average • $8,000 spent out-of-pocket, on average
(excluding facility costs) (excluding facility costs)
$108
$106
• 88 percent of recipients had household • 63 percent of caregivers had household
$95
income fall by one-third, on average income fall by one-fourth, on average
• 63 percent of recipients spent about • 61 percent of caregivers spent about
$75
two-thirds of their savings two-thirds of their savings
LONG-TERM CARE INSURANCE CAN PROTECT YOU AND YOUR FAMILY
Long-term care insurance can help you meet the expense of a long-term care event. Experts
suggest that the best time to purchase a long-term care policy is in your 50s, when you are in
good health.3 Not all policies provide the same benefits, so it is important to discuss which
policy may best suit your needs.
2004 2006 2008 2010 1
Kiplinger.com, 10 Things You Should Know About Long-Term Care, 2011
Source: AARP Data from the National Long-Term
, 2
Genworth Financial, Beyond Dollars: The True Impact of Long Term Caring, September 30, 2010
Care Survey, September 2010
3
Reuters Money, The Best Time to Buy Long-Term Care Insurance, November 18, 2010