Set Yourself Up for Personal Care as You Age
Are you making a long-term care plan? Setting up a long-term care plan takes time and effort. You must make decisions about where to care for a family member quickly. Other times, a family has a while to look for the best place to care for an elderly relative. In our blog this month, we’ll take a look at everything that goes into writing a long-term care plan.
Learn Who Needs a Long-Term Care Plan and What it Might Cost
You can never know for sure if you will need long-term care. Maybe you will never need it. But an unexpected accident, illness, or injury can suddenly change your needs. The best time to think about long-term care is before you need it. Planning for the possibility of long-term care gives you time to learn about services in your community. It also allows you to make important decisions while you are still able.
People with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease or early signs of dementia should begin planning for long-term care as soon as possible. Talking to your doctor about your health and asking for their advice can also be helpful. Long term care plans can be expensive. Just figuring out how to pay for it can be just as difficult. Most often personal funds, government healthcare programs, pensions, and long-term care insurance pay for care plans.
Choose the Right Long-Term Care Facility
While writing a long-term care plan, you can determine what type of healthcare facility you want. Some facilities are better suited for meeting your long-term care needs. The four main types are independent living facilities, assisted living communities, nursing homes and continuing care retirement communities.
The main difference between these types of facilities has to do with how much care your loved one needs. Each has varying degrees of independence and nursing care. Depending on your personal circumstances, one location may better suit your needs. Making the choice of where to live comes down your personal needs, costs, and preference.
It’s a Difficult Decision to Place a Loved One in a Nursing Home
It can be difficult to make the decision about whether you or a loved one needs to leave home. Agreeing that you will not put someone in a nursing home may close the door to the right care option. The fact is that for some illnesses, professional health care in a long-term care facility is the only reasonable choice.
If you need help creating a long-term care plan, call Margaret Zylka House, Attorney at Law at (724) 628-4955. Check out our Facebook page for daily information and the latest news about making a long-term care plan.
