Long-Term Care: Have You Thought About It?
Really, have you thought about long-term care? When you’re young and healthy, this is probably the last thing on your mind. But you can’t deny the fact that you will reach an age where you need all the help and support you can get from someone other than family and friends. Thinking about long-term care may give you a sense of foreboding, but it is best to prepare for the possibility. According to LongTermCare.gov, “In 2000, almost 10 million people needed some form of long-term care in the United States.” The numbers could have increased by then.
What are the features of long-term care?
There is a range of services and support that is included in long-term care, most of which are designed to meet your personal care needs. It provides assistance with whatever personal tasks you might need done in your daily life. When you have mobility issues, long-term care can prove beneficial. It is, however, different from medical care, although some providers extend their services to cover certain areas of health care.
Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
As the name suggests, this part of long-term care covers some of the activities involved in your daily living.
- Personal care
- Chore service
- Care management
Services delivered may differ from one company to another, but you can always expect care providers to assist you in bathing, dressing, eating, using the toilet, moving to and from a bed or chair, and caring for incontinence.
Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs)
IADLs refer to assistance with everyday tasks that are not part of personal care. What they do is to ensure that you will be able to live independently.
- Transportation to health-related appointments
- Social day care
- Home-delivered/congregate meals
- Social and environmental support
- Housekeeping
- Shopping for clothing or groceries
- Managing your money
- Helping you use a telephone, other forms of communication, and technology, whenever applicable
- Respond to emergency alerts
Health Care Needs
When you’re 60 and sick, access to health care becomes a priority, and it is a fact that the older you get, the more medical attention you might need. Consider yourself lucky if you don’t, but consider it a consolation that someone will take care of your health needs when you have long-term care.
- Audiology/hearing aids
- Dental Care
- Durable medical equipment, medical/surgical supplies, prosthetics, orthotics and oxygen
- Health promotion services
- Home health care
- Nursing home care
- Optometry/eyeglasses
- Personal Emergency Response System (PERS)
- Rehabilitation Therapy
The list is not exhaustive, but the best service provider is sure to go beyond your expectations. In terms of home health care, for example, some cover physical therapy, occupational therapy, home health aides, nursing care, speech therapy and medical social services. You may also be entitled to nutritional counseling that will help ensure you stay at the peak of your health by eating the right foods for your age, weight, IBM and other factors.
Who needs long-term care and why is it necessary?
People ages 50 to 65 requires this essential service, especially when they have health problems. But it is just as helpful to people suffering from a debilitating illness or an injury that prevents them from doing simple chores or perform personal care.
Based on the services provided, it is easy to see how you can benefit from long-term care. The very idea that you can live independently even if you have health problems is reason enough to sign up for it. Sure, it can be frustrating when someone has to assist you to take a bath or use the toilet, but imagine what your life would be like without it.