Cost of Long Term Care
Have you ever thought about where you want to live the last decades of you life? We all dream of retiring and doing things we might not have had a chance to do when we were so busy working. Maybe travel more? Maybe spend time doing hobbies or volunteering?
That all sounds great as long as you have your health. However, it is a common fact that with age we are more susceptible to some kind of chronic illness, which can change one’s ability to do normal activities of daily living.
A chronic illness is defined as an illness that lasts 3 months or longer and cannot be prevented by vaccines or cured with medications. According to the U.S National Center for Health Statistics eighty-eight percent of Americans over 65 years of age have at least one chronic health condition. Individuals with a chronic illness spend a lot of time and money treating and caring for the chronic illness and their general well being.
A chronic illness can stop a person in their tracks, and naturally begins to the raise a few questions. How you want to live the last decades of your life? Where do you want to live? What does quality of life mean to you?
These are hard questions to answer, especially without the right support or knowledge. So here are some guiding facts from an expert in long term care planning.
- Statistically, to be cared for in a Nursing Home it will cost the average American between $100,000 to 125,000 annually.
- For one to one continuous care or live-in care an individual will spend approximately $80,000-$100,000 annually. The difference here is that you have “One to One” care and it’s your own home.
These are the two main options for continuous care. There are more cost efficient choices for individuals who choose to remain in their own home when you bring in care for a few hours a day. This generally costs about $10,000 – $31,000. However this would only be recommended if the individual could be left alone for periods throughout the day.
In-home care is not just the more cost efficient option, it is also proven that individuals who spend the last years of their life at home have an overall better quality of life, emotionally and physically. Therefore they are happier and have fewer complications from the chronic illness.
We know that decisions are best made through planning. Unfortunately, we have seen many individuals or families wait until the time of absolute necessity or a time of crisis to make decisions regarding long term care. You do not have to wait.
Gerry Fioriglio RN, CDP, a Geriatric Care Manager, Certified Dementia Practitioner, and owner of Family Caregivers Network, Inc. help’s individuals every day with making these hard decisions. With over 35 years experience in Home Care, Gerry Fioriglio provides you the with expert advice needed to make these tough decisions. Don’t wait for a crisis to make a decision about long-term care or where to spend the last decades of life. Call Family Caregivers Network today (215-541-9030) or visit them on the web at www.family-caregivers.com, and start the planning process, because we all deserve the best quality of life as we age.