The cost of long-term care for seniors varies as much as the types of care available and the degree of assistance you or a loved one need.
In this article, Comfort Keepers® will review some of the more common funding options for senior housing and long-term care services. Senior care can range from a few hours a week of personal or companionship care by an in-home care provider, to full-time in-home care, to skilled nursing care in a nursing home.
Many who have not done their research mistakenly believe that Medicare can be the answer for long-term care. In reality, it covers only a very narrow range of long-term care costs. It is important that you understand ahead of time the benefits and limits of Medicare so you can adequately prepare for long-term care needs.
According to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation Web site, nursing home rates vary widely, but can exceed $5,000 a month.
In-home care is generally far less expensive, but costs vary greatly, depending on where you live, the level of care and number of hours of services needed per week.
How will you pay for long-term care? Options include long-term care insurance, Veterans Administration benefits, and out of pocket—from your savings and assets.
Long-Term Care Insurance
Long-term care insurance can help seniors pay the costs of long-term care, helping to avoid depletion of life savings for extended care. However, coverage is expensive. Premiums increase the older you are when you buy it. The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that policies purchased at age 65 average $1,800 a year for four years of comprehensive coverage and $5,900 a year when purchased at age 79.
For those earning ample income, premiums can be affordable, but you need to make sure you will still be able to pay the premium after you retire. And even if you can, you may not be able to justify the expense if you have the resources to pay for care out of pocket. Your financial planner can help guide you in this decision.
Not all long-term insurance policies are created equal, so be sure you know what you are buying:
- Some policies cover only specific types of long-term care, while others will cover a variety, such as nursing home, assisted living or in-home care.
- Know up front to what degree premiums may increase over time. Also be aware that premiums vary by the number of covered years. Lifetime coverage can be very expensive. When making this decision, the Kaiser Family Foundation advises, consider that “people between age 65 and 94 who enter a nursing home stay, on average, two and a half years, while 90% stay less than four years.”
- Many long-term care policies have an “elimination period,” that is, a waiting time during which the covered individual must pay for his own care. The longer the elimination period, the lower the premium.
- Know what percentage of daily care costs your policy will cover, and realize that inflation will increase the costs. Inflation protection is commonly sold as a rider for long-term care insurance.
- Policies vary in how they define eligibility for benefits. Some plans, for instance, state that a senior qualifies when he or she can no longer perform certain defined activities of daily living.
VA Aid and Attendance Pension Benefit
Veterans and their surviving spouses may qualify for Veterans Administration benefits to cover some of the cost of in-home care. A veteran or a surviving spouse of a veteran who served at least 90 days on active duty with one day during a period of war may be eligible for the Veterans Administration’s non-service connected disability pension.
Paying Out of Pocket for Long-Term Care
Seniors and their families often must tap into savings and assets to pay for long-term care, as many cannot afford long-term care insurance, many do not qualify for Medicaid, and Medicare coverage is very limited.
The costs of care will depend greatly on the amount of time care is required. To get an idea of what the expense could be, research nursing home costs in your area, then calculate the total for a four-year stay. The Kaiser Family Foundation recommends, “If you can set aside enough to cover four years of residential care, you should consider simply paying for it yourself.” But actual costs cannot be predicted, as persons with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia often need care for many more years.
In comparison, in-home care expenses are often much less. You can find out by researching costs in your area. In doing so, you may also need to get estimates of the cost of home adaptations to help you stay in your own home.
For more information about funding long-term care, visit the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
For information about in-home care and its cost, visit the National Institute on Aging.
The Financial Impact of In-Home Care
At first glance, the cost of professional in-home care may look greater than it truly is. That is, until family caregivers honestly consider the value of the time and financial sacrifices made to care for a loved one.
If you are a family caregiver, you understand that the responsibility requires a considerable amount of your time—time and attention your loved one deserves. As a caregiver you get phone calls at all times, day and night. You coordinate transportation to and from medical appointments, grocery shopping, and other errands. You have another home to clean. You are the one who helps pay bills, provides companionship, and takes care of other tasks as needed. And you do this in addition to the other responsibilities you have, such as your job and family.
Chances are to get everything done that needs to be done, you have had to reduce your hours at work. Maybe you have cut back to part-time employment and passed up a promotion.
These lost opportunities to earn a living have a real impact on your financial situation now and in the future, when it comes time to retire. Considering these lost opportunities, take another look at the quotes you have been given to hire a professional in-home care provider. With this in mind, the cost of having a qualified and insured home care agency assume caregiving tasks does not seem that high, does it?
When you work with a reputable in-home care agency, you will still be in charge of the care that is being provided your loved one. You just will not be responsible for the time-consuming day-to-day caregiving responsibilities.
You will have peace of mind knowing your loved one is receiving proper care, while you can go about taking care of your own life.
If you have been avoiding it, now is the time to determine the financial impact that home care can make on your life. You may find that allowing others to do the job is a smart financial decision!