1. Why Should The Long-term Care System Be Equipped To Provide A Variety Of Ltc Services?

Long-term care involves a variety of services designed to run into a person'south wellness or personal care needs during a short or long period of fourth dimension. These services help people live as independently and safely as possible when they tin can no longer perform everyday activities on their own.

Long-term care is provided in dissimilar places past dissimilar caregivers, depending on a person'due south needs. Almost long-term intendance is provided at home by unpaid family members and friends. It tin can besides be given in a facility such as a nursing home or in the community, for instance, in an adult day care center.

The most common type of long-term intendance is personal care—assist with everyday activities, also called "activities of daily living." These activities include bathing, dressing, grooming, using the toilet, eating, and moving around—for example, getting out of bed and into a chair.

Long-term care besides includes community services such equally meals, adult twenty-four hour period care, and transportation services. These services may be provided complimentary or for a fee.

People oftentimes demand long-term intendance when they accept a serious, ongoing health condition or inability. The need for long-term care tin can arise of a sudden, such every bit afterwards a heart attack or stroke. Well-nigh often, however, information technology develops gradually, as people get older and frailer or every bit an illness or inability gets worse.

What Are the Different Types of Home-Based Long-Term Care Services?

Habitation-based long-term care includes wellness, personal, and back up services to help people stay at home and alive every bit independently as possible. Most long-term care is provided either in the home of the person receiving services or at a family member'southward home. In-abode services may be short-term—for someone who is recovering from an operation, for example—or long-term, for people who need ongoing help.

Most home-based services involve personal care, such as help with bathing, dressing, and taking medications, and supervision to make sure a person is safe. Unpaid family members, partners, friends, and neighbors provide virtually of this type of intendance.

Are y'all a long-altitude caregiver? Run across When It's Time to Leave Abode.

Abode-based long-term intendance services tin can also be provided past paid caregivers, including caregivers establish informally, and healthcare professionals such as nurses, habitation health care aides, therapists, and homemakers, who are hired through home wellness intendance agencies. These services include: home wellness care, homemaker services, friendly visitor/companion services, and emergency response systems.

Home Health Care

Home health intendance involves part-time medical services ordered by a medico for a specific condition. These services may include nursing care to help a person recover from surgery, an accident, or disease. Home health care may as well include physical, occupational, or spoken language therapy and temporary home health aide services. These services are provided past home health care agencies approved by Medicare, a authorities insurance plan for people over historic period 65.

Homemaker and Personal Care Services

Dwelling house health agencies offer homemaker and personal care services that can exist purchased without a physician's order. Homemaker services include assist with meal preparation and household chores. Personal care includes help with bathing and dressing. Agencies exercise non accept to be canonical by Medicare to provide these kinds of services.

Find a Medicare-certified home health bureau in your expanse.

Friendly Company and Senior Companion Services

Friendly visitor/companion services are usually staffed past volunteers who regularly pay brusque visits (less than two hours) to someone who is fragile or living alone. You can also buy these services from habitation health agencies.

Senior Transportation Services

Transportation services help people get to and from medical appointments, shopping centers, and other places in the customs. Some senior housing complexes and community groups offer transportation services. Many public transit agencies take services for people with disabilities. Some services are costless. Others charge a fee.

Learn more well-nigh transportation services from Eldercare Locator.

Emergency Medical Alarm Systems

Emergency response systems automatically answer to medical and other emergencies via electronic monitors. The user wears a necklace or bracelet with a button to push in an emergency. Pushing the push summons emergency help to the home. This type of service is especially useful for people who live alone or are at risk of falling. A monthly fee is charged.

Long-Term Care Planning

You can never know for sure if y'all will need long-term care. Maybe you volition never demand it. But an unexpected accident, illness, or injury tin can alter your needs, sometimes all of a sudden. The all-time time to remember most long-term care is before you need it.

Planning for the possibility of long-term intendance gives you lot fourth dimension to larn about services in your community and what they price. Information technology also allows you to make important decisions while you are yet able.

People with Alzheimer'due south disease or other cognitive impairment should begin planning for long-term intendance as presently every bit possible.

Learn more than about advance care planning.

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Making Decisions About Long-Term Intendance

Begin by thinking about what would happen if you lot became seriously sick or disabled. Talk with your family unit, friends, and lawyer about who would provide intendance if you needed aid for a long time. Read nearly how to gear up healthcare advance directives.

You might filibuster or prevent the need for long-term intendance by staying salubrious and independent. Talk to your doctor about your medical and family history and lifestyle. He or she may suggest actions you tin take to improve your health.

Healthy eating, regular physical activity, not smoking, and express drinking of alcohol tin can help you lot stay healthy. Then can an active social life, a safe home, and regular health care.

Making Housing Decisions: Crumbling in Place

In thinking almost long-term care, it is important to consider where you will alive as you historic period and how your place of residence can all-time support your needs if you can no longer fully intendance for yourself.

Most people prefer to stay in their ain habitation for as long as possible. Learn about services, products, and resources that tin can assist older adults stay in their homes.

Making Fiscal Decisions for Long-Term Intendance

Long-term care can exist expensive. Americans spend billions of dollars a year on various services. How people pay for long-term care depends on their financial situation and the kinds of services they employ. Often, they rely on a diversity of payment sources, including:

Personal funds, including pensions, savings, and income from stocks
Government wellness insurance programs, such every bit Medicaid (Medicare does not encompass long-term care but may cover some costs of brusk-term intendance in a nursing domicile afterwards a hospital stay.)
Private financing options, such as long-term intendance insurance
Veterans' benefits
Services through the Older Americans Act

To discover home-based services, contact Eldercare Locator at i-800-677-1116 or visit https://eldercare.acl.gov. You can as well telephone call your local Area Bureau on Aging, Crumbling and Disability Resource Center, section of homo services or crumbling, or a social service agency.

Read more about getting help to stay at dwelling house.

Learn more almost long-term care outside of the domicile.

Acquire more than about paying for care.

For More Information Nearly Long-Term Care

This content is provided by the NIH National Institute on Aging (NIA). NIA scientists and other experts review this content to ensure it is authentic and up to engagement.

Content reviewed: May 01, 2017