To better understand Long-Term Care, think of your morning activities. You probably:

  • Climbed out of bed
  • Walked to the bathroom
  • Used the toilet
  • Bathed or showered
  • Dressed
  • Ate breakfast

While we are healthy it is easy to take these activities for granted.  However, when you or a loved one is stricken with a degenerative condition such as a stroke or Alzheimer’s, performing these ADL’s (acts of daily living) becomes impossible without the assistance of another person.

This is Long-Term Care! It is full time, stressful and can be very expensive. Long-Term Care can be provided in many settings including nursing homes, your own home, assisted living facilities and adult day care.

  • Long-Term Care is personal care or supervision needed by persons of all ages for an extended period of time
  • It may be needed due to an accident or illness, or the effects of aging

Some conditions that may require long-term care include:

  • Head Injury
  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • Parkinson’s Disease
  • Stroke
  • Heart Disease
  • Alzheimer’s Disease

Aging, mental or physical illness, or injury – any one of these can impact our ability to manage daily activities. As a result, some people need help with eating, bathing, dressing, toileting or continence, and/or transferring (e.g., getting out of a chair or out of bed). These six actions are called Activities of Daily Living – sometimes referred to as ADLs. In general, if you can’t do two or more of these activities, or if you have a cognitive impairment, you are said to need long-term care.

  • Myth: Long-Term Care is only for care that is required for a long time.
  • Fact: Some people might need ADL services for only a few months or less.
  • Myth: Long-Term Care is provided exclusively in a nursing home.
  • Fact: Long-Term Care can be provided in an adult day care center, an assisted living facility, or at home.
  • Myth: Medicare and most private insurance policies pay for care at all skill levels.
  • Fact: Skilled care means medical, nursing, or rehabilitative services, including help taking medicine, undergoing testing (e.g. blood pressure), or other similar services. This distinction is important because Medicare and most private health insurance pay only for skilled care–not custodial care.

Assistance with ADLs, called custodial care, may be provided in the same place as (and therefore is sometimes confused with) skilled care. However, Long-Term Care includes a wide range of medical and support services for people with a degenerative condition (e.g. Parkinson’s, stroke, etc.), a prolonged illness (cancer) or cognitive disorder (Alzheimer’s).

Long-Term Care is not necessarily medical care but rather custodial care which involves providing an individual assistance with activities of daily living or supervision of someone who is cognitively impaired.