It's All About The Family

Understanding the Problem

The good news is we are living longer than ever before. Over the last 50 years, life expectancy has increased steadily

We are likely to live a long healthy life; medical advances will continue to increase and improve our lifespan.

But, the longer you live, the greater are your chances of needing care. Aging increases the likelihood of becoming frail, injured or sick.

If this happens, won’t we need care?

Who will pay for that care?

Who will provide it?

How can you create a sound inclusive process to protect your family?

Did they think they would ever get sick and need care?
Did they understand what the consequences of needing care would have on their family and their retirement income?

Could you be the one needing care?
 
Have you thought about what the consequences of living a long life and needing care will have on your family and retirement choices?

Minimize those consequences: Click Here

What changes in their lives, would your family have to make if needing Long Term Care /Extended Care became a reality?

Family

Most families find a way to honor their commitments. What will the consequences be to your family?
  

What Are the True Costs?
        

Family costs:
Unpaid family care givers provide majority of Long-Term Care/Extended Care (3/4 mths).

Working care givers spend an average of 22 hours a week providing elder care. Caregiving can last 8 – 10 years.

Working care givers lose an average of $650,000 in lost wages, lost Social Security benefits and lost pension contributions.

Could your family provide the hands on services to care for you?

Would you want them to?

Family Workplace Adjustments

Telephone calls Retired early Decreased hours       Deal with crisis Make up work on evenings/weekends Took leave of absence Unexpected days off Leave work early Late to work Full to Part time Quit Job

• Have you considered whether your family or friends are able to devote the time it takes to care for you in addition to their normal family and work obligations?

My spouse will take care of me…

If you need care your spouse will take care of you, but there is a cost to that care.
Your spouse will be under a tremendous amount of stress being a caregiver.
   
What will that stress do?
How will that care giving affect  health?
What’s your plan to protect your spouse?
Providing care for a chronically ill person in many instances accelerates the caregivers need for help as well.
What if your spouse is sick or frail as well?

Do you now see the huge toll, emotional, physical and most often with great financial consequences?

That's the reality of needing extended care!

Extended care rarely brings families together.

- It tears them apart -

Because the responsibility is not shared equally.

How many of us have children with the proper training or time to be caregivers?

If you think your children have full-time jobs now, just talk to someone who has tried to be a caregiver for a loved one.

Consider the emotional issues that arise when a son or daughter must bathe his or her mother or father.

How many of us have children willing to pack up their families and move to take care of loved ones or are you readily going to move in with your children?

These tough questions must be asked.

Please sincerely ask yourself what will be the consequences to your family if you don’t prepare now. 

Which child will take responsibility?

Can you imagine what it would be like to change your parent's diapers?

Would you want them to?

Don`t Be In Denial

Many Americans still believe that the chances are slight that they will need long-term care.

They claim that their family history, or their genes, or their lifestyle, minimizes their risk.

Unfortunately, if they believe these factors will enable them to live a long life, they are building the case that they have a higher risk than others of needing long-term care.

The longer one lives, the greater the risk.

Why Planning is Needed?  

Long-Term Care/Extended Care scenarios impose great stress on the families and on the person needing care. Don’t you want to create a plan that supports your autonomy and ability to choose?

Should your plan provide you high-quality services and support delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner in the location of your choice? 

Is it possible to have a solution that allows family members to provide supervision and love without having to provide the very personal care that can be extremely embarrassing, very difficult and exceptionally time consuming to perform?

Another important reason Americans buy long term care insurance is to protect their assets; most work hard and save carefully and don’t want their entire lives savings to be spent on extended care. They want to preserve their assets to pass to their loved ones or causes.