8 tips on choosing the right long-term care program for aging relatives
Choosing the right long-term care program for aging relatives is emotionally, logistically and financially challenging. Too often, the decision is made in haste — when, as one of today's guests put it, the hospital says, "OK, we're discharging your mother tomorrow, and she's too weak or sick to go home. So where should we send her?"
On Monday The Daily Circuit discussed the long-term care options available to Minnesotans and some of the major obstacles. Here are eight tips that emerged from the conservation with guests and callers:
• Talk about long-term care before you need it. "Unfortunately, [people] put it off until the first hospitalization," said our guest Krista Boston.
• Think about long-term care and plan for it. Medicare won't cover much long-term care, yet more than two-thirds of people who live to age 65 will need it.
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• Look around at the options, and think about where you'd like to live if you need long-term care. Does facility that you like have a waiting list? Get your name on it before you need it.
• Consider your needs. Maybe you require help with meals and showers. Or you might want medical care available around the clock. Depending on the requirements, you may need an assisted living facility, a nursing home or maybe just home care.
• Every adult needs to have a health care proxy and a power-of-attorney. This applies, said our guest Paula Span, even to young, healthy adults.
• Take out long-term care insurance before you begin to suffer from chronic diseases that may make you uninsurable. (In long-term care coverage, unlike health care, a pre-existing condition is still cause for denial.) Take your pick of reputable insurers, and try to provide for three years' coverage. More information on long-term care insurance is available at ownyourfuture.com.
• Use Minnesota's "senior linkage" line: (800) 333-2433. There, seniors or family members can get free counseling on ways to continue living at home, if possible.
• If you intend to go on Medicaid, or medical assistance, to help pay for your care, and if you have significant assets, make sure to consult an attorney. "There are lots of possibilities, but also lots of rules that you have to follow," said Boston.