It's never too early to start planning for your long-term care. If you're younger than 50, there are just a few simple things that you should know and can do today, that will make tomorrow a whole lot easier.
Things To Know
- Medicare only pays for long-term care if you require skilled services or rehabilitative care and Medicare does not pay for non-skilled assistance with Activities of Daily Living (ADL), which make up the majority of long-term care services. Read the section on Medicare for more information.
- Long-term-care is more expensive than you may think and you will likely be responsible for paying for the care you will require. Start thinking about how you will pay for the care you may need. Refer to the Costs & How to Pay section for further information.
- By creating an Advanced Care Directive you can inform your family or loved ones about how to make important health decisions for you, should you no longer be able to make those decisions for yourself. Consult the Advance Care Plan Considerations page for more information.
- There are many different ways to receive care and many different settings in which to receive it. To learn more about different care setting, see the Where You Can Receive Care section of the site.
- Where you live matters – your ability to stay at home may depend on the layout of your home, especially the bathrooms. Refer to the Staying in Your Home page for ideas.
Things You Can Do
- Plan how you will pay for care:
- Draft Advanced Directives so your care wishes are known to your friends and family: Advanced Care Plan Considerations
- If you own your home determine your housing options, including options to age in place.
- Take steps to support your physical health, including your brain health.