Who needs Long Term Care?

Even though you plan to remain healthy, active and independent, there’s a good chance, at some point, you’ll need help. Consider these statistics:

Sixty-nine percent of people turning age 65 will need Long Term Care before they die. (4)

It’s not just the elderly, however, who require Long Term Care. Forty percent of the 12 million Americans receiving Long Term Care are between the ages of 18 and 64. (2)

Because women generally outlive men, are they more at risk?

Yes, the issue of Long Term Care should be especially important to women because they traditionally provide (see Unpaid caregiving issues) and receive the majority of Long Term Care services. Consider these statistics:

After age 65, women face a 50 percent greater likelihood than men of entering a nursing home. (1)

Seventy-five percent of nursing home residents 65 years and older are female, and two-thirds of home health care users are female. (3)

1. "A Guide To Long Term Care Insurance," Health Insurance Association of America, 2003.

2. "Long-Term Care Your Financial Planning Guide," Phyllis Shelton, Kensington Publishing Corp., May 2001.

3. "Long Term Care Insurance: Better Information Critical To Prospective Purchasers," U.S. General Accounting Office, Sept. 13, 2000.

4. Americans for Life Security & 2008 CT Partnership Training