There is no way to tell how long you may need care.
The total cost of your long-term care will be determined by what it cost where you receive care and how long you receive care. The average length of stay in a nursing home is 875 days1 (2.4 years). Of those entering a nursing home 55% will stay at least one year and 21% will stay longer than 5 years. The average length of time from Alzheimer’s diagnosis to death is 8 to 10 years, although patients may be affected for a duration as short as 1 year and as long as 25 years.2
The average total time spent in care is 3+ years, including home care, assisted living, and nursing home. 3 After his life-changing equestrian accident, actor Christopher Reeve required 9 years of long-term care.
Care in your own home can be more costly than care in a residential care or nursing facility, depending on the level of care needed and how many hours you pay for care.
1http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/nursingh.htm
2Medscape Alzheimer’s Disease (AD)
3National Clearinghouse for Long Term Care Information
42008 Annual Cost of Care Survey
