Understanding Long Term Care

Long term care helps you with everyday living. It helps you do "activities of daily living" (ADLs).  They include:

• feeding yourself
• taking a bath
• getting dressed
• moving from a bed to a chair and back
• using the bathroom

People can get long term care when they can no longer do these things because of:

• chronic illness
• injury
• age

To get long term care, a state or health plan representative must visit a person at home and see what he or she needs. They see:

• how many ADLs a person can do without help
• if a person has mental difficulties like those caused by Alzheimer´s disease and needs supervision.

Are You Ready For Long Term Care?

Long term care can cost a lot. One out of four Americans age 85 or older lives in a nursing home. How will you pay for the care? Where will you live? Who will provide your care?

Visit the Long-Term Care Planner on the Medicare Long Term Care page on the CMS Web site to learn more!

Do you have a will?

Have you talked with your family and friends about your long-term care needs?

Have you spoken with your family and friends about your end-of-life wishes?

Have you done an:

• Advance Directive?
• Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care?
• Designation of Guardian in Advance of Need?
• Living Will/ Directive to Physicians?

LTC: Long Term Care

Our Long Term Care programs are designed to assist those who are chronically ill or disabled. In Florida it is specifically designed as a Long Term Care Diversion Waiver program to help seniors get the services they need to continue living at home or in an assisted living facility. In New York the program helps chronically ill or disabled persons with services at home, in assisted living facilities and in nursing homes

SSI: Supplemental Security Income 

This program is designed to assist those low incomes individuals who have qualified for and receive this supplemental benefit. It includes the elderly and persons with physical and/or behavioral disabilities and is sometimes called the Aged, Blind and Disabled (ABD) population