<span>T</span>oday, there are more and more opportunities to find the right type of long term facility for your loved one. It doesn’t matter if your loved one can no longer perform even the most basic activities of daily living. long term care is a significant component of healthcare delivery systems in developed and developing countries.
The steady increase in functional disabilities and acute and chronic conditions is creating a demand for LTC services. Understanding the need for long term living facilities and their role in your loved one’s life will help you put this necessary service into perspective.
This article covers the following sections:
- Understanding long term care facilities
- Types of long term care facilities
- Services and support in long term care facilities
- Financial considerations for long term care
- Quality of life in long term care facilities
- Specialized care in long term care facilities
Understanding long term Care Facilities (LTC)
LTC is a term used to describe a wide range of personal and health support services. These services are designed to meet the unique needs of people struggling with self-care due to chronic health issues and long term disabilities.
long term care facilities benefit people who require assistance for extended periods (mostly exceeding 12 months).
You need to understand that LTC service is available to all people struggling while performing activities daily and not just seniors. long term care facilities are ideal for people who have been injured or have debilitating health conditions. Your elderly loved one may require long term care services on a temporary or permanent basis.
Importance of long term care for seniors
There comes a time in a senior’s life when they will need long term care. It may be difficult to determine at what point your loved one needs long term care and, even then, the kind of care they will need.
The need for LTC may arise suddenly due to a heart attack or stroke, and at other times, it may be gradual, especially with chronic and progressive health conditions.
Overview of services provided in long term care facilities
long term care facilities include residential facilities like long term skilled nursing and assisted living homes, which provide a wide range of services. These facilities create care plans that address individual residents’ needs. Most LTC facilities are safe environments for older adults with unique needs, and their design aims to provide comprehensive care for the residents.
If your loved one is in an assisted living home, they will benefit from a selection of services. They can also receive assistance from their family and friends, especially if they are relatively independent.
This being said, it’s crucial to note that these are just some of the general guidelines, and you will need to look deeper into the services a long term care facility is offering before commiting.
Some of the long term care services include:
Personal care services
- Assistance with performing activities of daily living (ADLs) like bathing, eating, dressing, and toileting
- Mobility assistance
- Meal preparation
- Housekeeping
- Laundry
- Transportation
- Shopping
Therapy services
- Speech therapy
- Occupational therapy
- Physical therapy
Types of long term Care Facilities
Choosing the right long term care facility for your loved one can be challenging. Knowing the available options and what they offer will help you make an informed decision.
The following is a list of available options and what they offer. Most of these facilities provide services depending on the care your loved one requires.
| Independent living communities | Residential Care Homes | Nursing Homes | Assisted Living | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assistance with ADLs | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Round-the-clock care | When needed | When needed | Yes | Depending on resident’s needs |
| Memory care | No | Depending on the facility | Yes | Yes |
| Skilled medical and nursing care | When needed | When needed | Yes | When needed |
| Independent living | Yes | No | No | Depending on a resident’s needs |
| Social activities | Yes | Yes | Yes but supervised | Yes |
| Fully equipped apartments/homes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Long term insurance cover | No | If your loved one qualifies | Yes | If your loved one qualifies |
| Rehabilitative services | No | No | Yes | No |
| long term care | Yes | yes | Yes | yes |
| Respite care | Yes | yes | Yes | Yes |
| Shared living space | Depending on a resident’s needs | Yes, or depending on a resident’s needs | Yes | Yes |
| Recreational activities | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Safety | yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Restaurants | Yes | Yes | No | It depends on the home |
Considerations for choosing the right type of long term care facility for a loved one
One of the most challenging realities to admit is accepting that your loved one needs extra help, more than you or your family can provide. However, this is fine as every person needs assistance at some point.
Searching for the ideal long term care facility for your loved one may seem like a daunting task. You wonder where to start and even what to expect.
The following tips will help you choose the right type of long term care facility for your loved one.
1. Start the conversation early
This can be tricky, but an event may prompt you as a family to consider long term care. This can be when your loved one starts showing increased dementia signs after a fall or when their doctor gives them a new diagnosis.
If your loved one is in a position, you can ask them for their opinion on the type of long term care they want.
Once you have determined the need for long term care, you can start researching the facilities ideal for your loved one’s care.
One advantage of early conversation is that it helps smooth the transition. Your loved one will have ample time to think over their impending move, and you can have peace of mind knowing you have made the right decision.
2. Consider your loved one’s needs
When looking for a long term care facility, consider your loved one’s current needs and what they might need. Initially, you might look for a home that offers assistance with activities of daily living and physical therapy. However, having a facility that provides different types of care such as nursing and hospice care might be an added advantage, as you can easily access these services when your loved one needs them.
Additionally, look for a place that offers activities that interest your loved one. For example, if your loved one loves to garden, a facility offering this would suit them better. Remember, you want your loved one to be comfortable and happy, which is crucial in ensuring they spend their twilight years in tranquility.
3. Seek family and friends’ opinions
It’s essential to involve other family members in making this huge decision. If you have friends who have experience with long term care facilities, you can seek their opinion. Ask them if they were satisfied or about their experience with LTC units in the area.
Healthcare workers, support groups, religious groups, and social workers can also help point you in the right direction.
4. Visit Different facilities in your area
Once you have identified some of the facilities that might be ideal for your loved one, the next step is to contact them.
You can take a virtual tour or visit them physically and ask questions about their services. You can also learn about their charges, staff-to-resident ratio, and security measures. If you want to move your loved one into the facility, do they have a waiting list, or can you do so immediately?
Visiting the facility in person is a good idea as it will give you an insight into how the facility and its staff interact and treat its residents. You can also look out for:
- Their licensing
- The activities that residents are taking part in
- Their meals
- Whether the facility is clean and well-maintained
- If the residents look appropriately dressed
- Easy accessibility for people with special needs, such as wheelchair ramps.
Services and Support in Long Term Care Facilities
Although it would be ideal to take care of your loved one from the comfort of home, sometimes this isn’t viable. Your loved one may have to seek the services and support of a long term care facility, where they will be comfortable, have peace of mind, and interact with other seniors going through the same experiences.
Importance of activities of daily living support
Activities of daily living (ADLs) are the basic skills and tasks a person needs to carry out to care for themselves properly. These basic skills fall into the following categories:
- Eating
- Personal hygiene, like bathing
- Mobility
- Dressing
- Toileting
- Continence.
Your loved one might be able to complete some tasks but need assistance completing others.
Significance of ADLs in a senior’s life
Healthcare providers use activities of daily living to measure patients’ functional capabilities. The information they get determines the level of care a person will require and what supportive services your loved one will need.
Measuring ADLs helps determine a person’s independence, which is crucial in creating a personalized care plan.
Effects of Age and Medical conditions on ADLs
As a family member, you will be the first to notice when your loved one fails to complete their ADLs. You may note a decline in hygiene or minor changes in their daily routine. Sometimes, it may be the duration it takes them to get dressed, and even then, you may notice they get it all wrong.
Please don’t ignore these changes; hope for the best when you notice them. Usually, these changes are a red flag indicating an underlying cause.
The earlier you seek assistance, the better for your loved one. Seeking assistance earlier helps your loved one to retain their independence for longer.
Several factors contribute to a senior’s inability to perform their ADLs. They include:
Age: Even in healthy individuals, the natural decline brought about by aging can cause general physical impairments that affect their ability to function normally.
- Medical Conditions: Most medical conditions affect the neurological, musculoskeletal, sensory, and circulatory systems. This effect on some body systems may affect a person’s ability to perform ADLs.
How long term care facilities provide a range of services to cater to individual needs
long term care facilities play a significant role in ensuring the comfort and general well-being of your loved one by providing essential services. The facilities maintain and improve the quality of their residents’ lives by providing critical services such as help with ADLs, medication management, personal care, and social and emotional support.
Despite the resident’s medical limitations, LTC facilities promote social interactions, emotional well-being, and mental stimulation to their residents.
Some specialized care programs and units in LTC facilities cater only to specific needs. These units address specific needs like memory, palliative, and hospice care.
Financial Considerations for long term Care
Studies show that most people turning 65 have a 70% chance of requiring long term care services at some point in their lives. While it’s easier to ignore the need to plan for long term care, either for you or your loved one, the truth is that you will eventually have to.
long term care comes in various forms, from having an in-home caregiver at your loved one’s home to a skilled nursing home. Whichever form of LTC you take will be costly. This is especially so since Medicare doesn’t cover most of the long term care services needed. With this in mind, you and your family must pay for most services.
Although planning for long term care in advance may not be a priority right now, a delay could leave you struggling with financing when it’s time. Knowing the financing options for you and your loved one is vital in planning.
Exploring the costs associated with long term care facilities
You need to estimate the cost to make a uniform decision on long term care. Is buying long term insurance the best route, and if so, how much will you need to buy? You must understand that long term care will vary greatly depending on the chosen location.
The first step is determining the cost of care in your area, which you can do by contacting local communities and agencies about their rates.
Alternatively, you can visit the Genworth website, as their survey will help you estimate the potential cost of care in your state and plan accordingly. With this tool, you can have a rough estimate of the cost of the type of long term care you are considering, depending on your loved one’s zip code.
While most senior care service rates depend on the level of care and available amenities, having an estimated cost will help with your planning.
Options for paying for long term care, including insurance policies and government programs
When planning for golden years, most people plan for their travel, family time, and hobbies. This is well, but planning for long term care during an individual’s prime can make their golden years truly golden.
long term care’s financial impact on the family can be immense, and sometimes, it can weigh most people down. It is crucial to start planning long term care and have the relevant information, as at one time, you will be financing long term care (whether yours or your loved one).
You can start discussing long term care options and how to finance them with your loved one before they need these services.
For instance, if your loved one moves into an LTC nursing home and occupies a semi-private room, they must pay around $104,025 annually. If they reside in an assisted living home, the cost will be about $64,000. You need to understand that this cost may increase at a 3%- 4% annual rate, depending on the location.
These statistics mean you must have a hefty bank account for your loved one to access long term care. However, if this isn’t possible, you may have to consider the following payment options:
Medicaid Health Insurance
Medicaid is a public health insurance program that provides health insurance coverage to low-income individuals in the United States. Individual states and the federal government jointly fund it. This medical coverage is operated at the state level, meaning its administration and coverage depend on each state.
Your loved one must meet specific income criteria to qualify for Medicaid. Medicaid is designed to cover long term and acute care for low-income individuals or families. Currently, over 18% of Medicaid funding covers long term care services.
Eligibility for Medicaid requires your loved one to have an annual income that does not exceed $33,984. Additionally, most states require an individual’s assets to be between $2,000 and $154,140 to qualify.
Some exceptions exist regarding a person’s assets, such as their home or vehicles, which are not included in the asset limits. If your loved one has a modest income, consider applying a spend-down strategy to ensure they meet their financial eligibility.
Once your loved one qualifies, Medicaid will cover the following:
- Assisted living home services
- Nursing homes
- Community or home-based services.
Medicare
Your loved one can’t rely on Medicare to cover the cost of long term care even if they are seniors (65 years or older).
Medicare has minimal coverage and usually covers short-term care. It doesn’t cover adult day care services, custodian care, nonmedical home care, or long term skilled nursing care.
However, this doesn’t mean your loved one can’t benefit from their Medicare coverage. Your loved one will benefit from the following under Medicare coverage:
- Home health care services prescribed by doctors such as occupational or physical therapy. These services do not include personal care assistance such as bathing, toileting, or feeding.
- Skilled nursing care after your loved one’s hospital stay. This hospital stay must be for at least three days. Once at the long term skilled nursing home, Medicare will cover up to 20 days. After days 21 to 100, your loved one must pay copay. After 100 days, your loved one must cover the total cost of their skilled nursing home care.
- Medicare covers hospice care, including respite care. However, once Medicare starts paying for hospice care, it stops paying for hospital treatments and care.
- Medical supplies include walkers, hospital beds, blood sugar monitors, wheelchairs, and oxygen.
Veterans VA benefits
If your loved one is a veteran, they might be eligible for long term care services assistance from the government through the Veterans Health Administration program. This program allows seniors to access community and home-based services such as adult day care, skilled health care, and respite care.
You can check if your loved one is eligible for VA benefits here. Additionally, if your loved one is eligible for VA pensions benefit, they can also benefit from the following programs:
Housebound services for individuals are mostly confined to their homes due to permanent disabilities. The VA program usually runs its community or nursing homes and can sometimes contract external nursing homes to cater to veterans’ needs.
Aids & Attendance services for veterans who:
- needs assistance with personal care,
- Have limited eyesight.
- Are in a skilled nursing home
- Are bedridden(even partially bedridden can benefit).
You need to understand that VA benefits differ with individuals, but the package will include the following services:
- Treatment for injuries and illnesses
- Improving a senior’s functional ability
- Enhance and improve veterans’ quality of life
Although veterans receive coverage for long term care services, some do not qualify for additional services like dental care.
Health Savings Accounts (HSA)
A health savings account will allow you to save some cash on pre-tax dollars you can use for medical expenses if you have a high-deductible insurance plan.
You can spend Health savings account funds on IRS-approved medical expenses and even copay for medical appointments for your spouse and dependents (your kids and parents if they are your legal dependents). Medical expenses include equipment such as walkers and wheelchairs.
When it comes to using HSA funds for your loved one’s long term care, a licensed doctor must certify that:
- Your loved one can only perform two activities of daily living with assistance for at least three months.
- Your loved one has cognitive impairments that threaten their safety and health and require constant supervision.
Once your loved one meets these requirements, they can spend your HSA funds on the following:
- Personal care (bathing, dressing, eating, incontinence, and toileting)
- Skilled nursing care (wound dressings, medication management)
- Therapeutic services (speech, occupational, and physical therapy).
Personal savings
You can use your loved one’s savings to pay for their long term care. However, before committing a senior’s savings to cover the cost of LTC, you should find out if it will negatively affect their retirement plans. Additionally, consider their savings ability, as it might be challenging to know the duration they will need long term care.
One advantage of using your loved one’s savings to cover the cost of LTC is that it can help protect their assets, allowing them to pass their wealth down to their family and loved ones.
Reverse mortgage
If your loved one is 62 or older, they can benefit from a reverse mortgage. This can be from the equity they’ve built up over the years in their home. A reverse mortgage will allow your loved one to take a cash loan using their house as collateral. Apart from age, your loved one must own the house, or their mortgage is low.
Once your loved one takes this loan, they only have to repay it once they move or sell the house. A senior can repay this loan every month or as a single lump sum. Your aging parent can spend the money in any way they deem fit to, including upgrading their home or paying for long term care.
The only condition for repayment they have to meet is that the loan should be repaid in full once your loved one ceases to live in their home for an entire year or after death. After the death of one spouse, and if the couple has signed for this loan together, the repayment will be due when the surviving spouse moves out, has an anniversary, or dies.
Quality of Life in long term Care Facilities
When you have a loved one in need of long term care, all you want is for them to enjoy their golden years in comfort and free of pain. A long term care facility is a place where the quality of life for your loved one should be the top priority. There are several ways in which LTC facilities ensure the quality of life for their residents.
Importance of social and recreational activities in long term care facilities
long term care facilities create opportunities for seniors to interact through social and recreational activities. Sometimes a senior might experience feelings of sadness, depression, and anxiety, especially if they are not socially active.
When seniors engage in social activities such as book clubs, gardening, evening walks, and arts and crafts, they become a part of something bigger. They meet with other seniors going through the same life events and lose the sense of isolation they would typically feel if they were alone. Conversations with like-minded individuals or people going through the same life events can be stimulating and create a sense of belonging they would otherwise not have.
Specialized Care in long term Care Facilities
long term care facilities offer specialized care to meet the unique needs of their residents. When you search for ideal options, ensure you find one that meets your loved ones’ needs.
Understanding the specific needs of seniors with conditions such as dementia or Alzheimer’s
Understanding the specific needs of seniors with conditions such as dementia or Alzheimer’s
will help you have a better chance of helping your loved one living with this condition. You will understand why their behavior changes, how to deal with their identity crisis, and gain practical tips on better caring for your loved one.
At the LTC facility, check if their caregivers are sensitive to the residents’ needs. If the caregivers and other support staff are sensitive, they can understand what your loved one is going through and work towards ensuring they provide the necessary support.
With dementia, it is essential to concentrate on what a resident still does and not what they can’t do. If the staff can pay more attention to your loved one’s feelings and focus less on what they have forgotten, your loved one will be in good hands.
When your loved one has dementia or Alzheimer’s, they enter into a world that is entirely different from the world other people are in. It becomes essential to see things from your loved one’s perspective, as this way, you will be in a better position to help them.
Importance of tailored care plans for residents with unique requirements
long term care facilities offering tailored care plans for their residents are the best option as they will meet your loved one’s unique needs. A personalized care plan will give your loved one more control over their lives and help them feel at ease when everything else is spiraling out of control.
With a tailored care plan, your loved one will receive care that meets their unique needs. If a resident is socially active, their care plan may focus more on social and recreational activities. In contrast, a chronically ill resident’s care will focus on medication management and ensuring they have regular medical check-ups.
LTC also ensures its residents receive care that is consistent with their lifestyles. For example, if your loved one prefers quiet and solitude, their care plan may include a book club or arts and crafts. A senior who loves socializing will participate in group activities, creating a social environment for interaction with other seniors.
Long Term Care Facilities Near You
Watching your loved one lose their memory or struggle with activities of daily living can be very heartbreaking. However, long term care facilities will help make your loved one’s twilight years joyful, comfortable, and meaningful.
At the LTC facility, they will continue enjoying their routines and interact with other seniors undergoing the same life events. They will be under the emphatic care of skilled caregivers who will ensure they live to their full potential.
Understanding what a long term care facility is and its role in senior care is the first step toward working on your loved one’s well-being. With this in mind, planning will help make the transition easier for all the involved parties.
Talk with your loved one about their long term care plans and where they would love to spend their golden years. Doing this ensures that you are all on the same page, and this helps your loved one retain a semblance of control over their lives.
At Amy’s Eden Senior Care, you can trust us to care for your loved one and oversee your loved one’s well-being. Visit us and see how comfortable and happy our residents are. Contact us today and let our caregivers be part of your loved one’s life. We will ensure your loved one spends their golden years in comfort and provide you with the best possible support system during this challenging time.
