Advising Parents on Long-Term Care Options Advising Parents on long-term care (LTC) Options

Long-term care refers to the services or support that one might need in their cognitive impairments while either at home or in an organisations facility. Long-term care helps those who are unable to take care of themselves financially from the effects of old age, disabilities or sickness to live a healthy life. This paper provides appropriate information useful for parents seeking long-term care options. It considers a case study in which it recommends suitable long-term health care options.

Long-term care has been in time proved to be hard, expensive, time consuming and stressing to about 70% of American citizens. According to the case scenario, Don gave everything he could to boost his lifetime love, Mary, but it was not enough. Had the two of them sat and lay down the right, effective and efficient long-term care concepts and programs to take care of Marys Alzheimer's illness, the task wouldn't be as tough as the story narrates (McSweeney-Feld & Oetjen, 2012). Since it is sometimes unpredictable to know if the illness might show up, different concepts have been developed in aim of helping minimise the risk involved, and providing essential long-term care options to the parents or people needing help (Signh, 2010).

Long-term care insurance is one of the best advised precautions to undertake although it is typically a little expensive for the low and middle class earners. For example, in the case of Don and Mary, using a little share of their income from their monthly earnings to pay premiums for their long-term care insurance could have been the best decision they ever made. Without paying a penny they would have minimised their financial struggle, and live a comfortable lifestyle during their ageing years. Through taking insurance savings, it helps safeguard ones retirement savings making it more affordable and convenient (Signh, 2010).

On the contrary, some insurance company have moved a further step ahead of others. They are providing extended benefits for the subscription of the insurance policies in case the insured does not suffer the illness. The insured are compensated with a considerable insurance benefit amount in case they do not suffer the insured risk. Home care concept is an option that is mostly preferred for elderly individuals. This is so because they are assured of enough security and are sure of good care. The agency has trained and fully ensured the caregiver is fully qualified. The agencies are always held liable for any irregularities caused by their employees during their working period. The ease to find these agencies through their websites has made home care service common, and has increased its usage proportionately. Offering home health care service to patients is one of the cheapest and less demanding options (Signh, 2010). It involves providing personal care such as bathing, dressing and toileting feeding and grooming the patients.

Respite care is the option where one can ask voluntarily from family members or friends to stay with the patients for some time. One can do this while taking a nap or catering for other personal matters. On the other hand, one can pay for care from the health care organisations and special treatments. Adult day centres offer socialization activities that are specifically designed to suit Alzheimer's illness patients like Mary, where ill individuals are taken daily for treatments and given personal care for 24 hrs. Home maker service can fit, in that it helps with shopping, housekeeping, grocery and laundry for the patients (McSweeney-Feld & Oetjen, 2012). Assisted living is another type of home care that involves full time supervision and assistance in meals, health care, indoor chores, recreational and social activities. The patients receive help completely in undertaking all their personal tasks.

In relation to the question, identifying a long-term care option is essential in that one confirms that it completely has all types of services one needs. The option should also be budget-oriented to fit the financial level of the patient, and avoid much straining in funding the care services of the persons involved (McSweeney-Feld & Oetjen, 2012). As for the case of Mary and his husband...

At the same time, it should be of less demand to him because of his aging situation and financial problem. This problem can be avoided or reduced by avoiding early intense spending and increasing investments on insuring ones long-term future. This is because it will be of much strain for Don to take care of himself and his wife. It will not be advisable for him to apply for the long-term care insurance. This is because it will be extremely expensive due to their age. On the contrary, considering that the to-be-insured risk of Marys' illness has already occurred, this means more premium costs (McSweeney-Feld & Oetjen, 2012). On the other hand, it would not be idealistic for him to take the respite care option since their children might be at work or held up in their own family's tasks. This option might also not be applicable. This is simply because he is at home, and does not have any intensely demanding activities to take care of at his age.
Taking care of himself and his wife is another option that he shouldn't consider taking because it is obvious that apart from taking care of his wife, he finds it difficult to cope with his ailments that has consumed the strength that he used to take care of himself and his wife. It is, therefore realistic, for Don to acquire additional support or aid for them to live a healthy and comfortable life. Many United States citizens tend to avoid hiring of additional force and on the long run suffer severely.

According to Dons' family current financial and health status, I would highly recommend them to apply for the Home Maker long-term care service. This option fully fits their situational requirements in relation to their current health and financial status. This service is very economical given that the care provider can offer services like doing house chores, shopping for the couple, providing personal health care like bathing them, grooming and even toileting. By applying for this service, the ageing couple will not have to strain to travel to the service providers but rather, they will wait at their designated homes and receive the comfy service brought home. This type of health care provides a 24-hour-a-day personal care at home with meals delivery to one's home.

Don and Mary have different options that help them raise funds or minimise the costs they incur in acquiring the health service they are willing to subscribe. The United States Health Program highly recognises, and has set programmes in aid of the low income earners and the aged unhealthy citizens. A good example is the provision of Medicaid; a government insurance program generated in aid of person of all ages who earn insufficient income, and resources to cater for their health services. Medicaid serves as the major funding mechanism to about 63% percentage of American citizens. Through United States subsidising the costs of drugs and services, Don and Mary are likely to opt to hiring a higher level of health service that provides them with more quality treatment.

Reverse mortgage as a source of funding, allows seniors to access revenues from their homes without credit qualification. This type of funding has no interest on the funds provided thus helping citizens with fast funds without taxing its citizens (Robnett & Chop, 2010). This form of funding also encourages the citizens to purchasing more effective and quality drugs that boost their health faster. Long-term care insurance is a form of funding which involves the savings by the citizens in terms of premiums and later benefiting from the organisations funded in terms of receiving free services or compensations in accordance with the terms and conditions of the insurance policy (Robnett & Chop, 2010).

Due to the costs incurred and uncertainties that are unforeseen during the purchasing of the policies, many individuals tend to divert from buying the policies. This leads to less consumption of long-term insurance care services by the middle class income earners. As earlier stated in the example, the couple had not taken the time to prepare a budget and perform a detailed plan on insuring their long time care in future (Robnett & Chop, 2010). On the contrary, they made it a task to spendthrift on their life savings which can help greatly in covering their expenses. For example, by taking a long life insurance cover and paying their little premiums with funds from their income gained from the U.S. Army.

Personally, I would gradually start saving for the future as early as possible to insure the unpredictable misfortunes of fate by taking precautions. My steps will include buying insurance covers for my long-term care which is…