Long Term Care

Long Term care (LTC) is the term used to describe a variety of services in the area of health, personal care, and social needs of persons who are chronically disabled, ill or infirm. Depending on the needs of the individual, long term care may include services such as nursing home care, assisted living, home health care, or aadult day care.

Who Needs Long term care?

The need for long-term care is generally defined by an individual's inability to perform the normal activities of daily living (ADL) such as AIDS, spinal cord or head injuries, srtoke, mental illness, Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia, or physical weakness and failty due to advancing age can alll ressult in the need for long term care.

While the need for long-term care can occur at any age, it is typically older individuals who require such care.

Individuals With Disabilities, by Age: 1994 - 19951 Age Group One Disability One Severe Disability 0-14 9.1% 1.1% 14-65 18.7% 8.7% 65-79 52.5% 33.4% Over 79 71.5% 53.5%

What is the Cost of Long-Term Care?

Apart from the unpaid services of family anf friends, long-term care is typically expensive. Some average national cost data compiled by the federal governemnt² provide a rough guide to the cost of long-term care:

Adult Day Care: $45 a day (8 hours) Meals-on-Wheels: $52/week (10 meals) Unskilled Home Care: $8 - $16 per hour. Rate for skilled home care is higher. Assisted Living Facilty: ranges from $900 to $3,000 per month. Nursing Home: $160 per day ($58,400 per year)

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¹Source: Current Population Reports, "Americans with Disabilities", August, 1997, as reported in A Profile of Older Americans:2000, prepared by the Administration on Aging of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
²See Choosing Long-Term Care, developed by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and the Agency for Healthcare Reseaarch aand Quality, November 2001. Data for 2001.