| Long Term Care Planning |
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 Long-term care is a variety of services that includes medical and non-medical care to people who have a chronic illness or disability. Long-term care helps meet health or personal needs. In This Article: Introduction to Long-Term Care Planning Medicare and Long-Term Care Medicaid and Long-Term Care Long-Term Care Overview Long-term care is made up of many different services and may include help with activities of daily living for seniors like:
Long-term care can take place at home, in senior centers, at community centers, in special retirement or assisted living facilities, or in nursing homes. Someone with a long-term physical illness, a disability, or a memory or thought problem (such as Alzheimer's disease) often needs long-term care. Choosing long-term care is a very important decision. You should plan and think about long-term care before you need care or before a crisis occurs. Planning ahead allows you the time to talk with your doctor about your health and any problems you may be having. It is also very important to talk with your family about the kind of long-term care services you think you might need someday, how much they would cost, and how you would pay for them. The best time to talk about long-term care is before you need services. This section gives you some steps that may help you choose the type of long-term care that meets your needs. Medicare and Long-Term Care: While there are a variety of ways to pay for long-term care, it is important to think ahead about how you will fund the care you get. Generally, Medicare does not pay for long-term care. Medicare pays only for medically necessary skilled nursing facility or home health care. However, you must meet certain conditions for Medicare to pay for these types of care. Most long-term care is to assist people with support services such as activities of daily living like dressing, bathing, and using the bathroom. Medicare does not pay for this type of care called "custodial care." Custodial care (non-skilled care) is care that helps you with activities of daily living. It may also include care that most people do for themselves, for example, diabetes monitoring. Some Medicare Advantage Plans (formerly Medicare + Choice) may offer limited skilled nursing facility and home care (skilled care) coverage if the care is medically necessary. You may have to pay some of the costs. For more information about Medicare Advantage Plans, look at the Medicare Personal Plan Finder. Medicaid and Long-Term Care: Medicaid is a State and Federal Government program that pays for certain health services and nursing home care for older people with low incomes and limited assets. In most states, Medicaid also pays for some long-term care services at home and in the community. Who is eligible and what services are covered vary from state to state. Most often, eligibility is based on your income and personal resources. To learn more about your available financing options refer to Caregiving Payment Options chart. This will help you in preparing for the costs associated to senior care. Other Related Articles: |
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