70 percent will need long term care

The first statistic had me a bit concerned too. 70% is a big number. In looking at the site though they also note that "Eighteen percent of all seniors will require more than one year in a nursing facility." So I would infer that most of the long term care is being provided by family or in home nursing. Granted God does provide for his own, and he basically commands us not to worry.
It is wise though to be prudent on this subject and attempt to save and plan. One year of nursing home care could run 40-50k. Some purchase long term care insurance, and that might be a way to go, but if those companies have financial difficulty, you could be left in the cold. Lots of fine print in these policies too. This article seems pretty balanced https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/long-term-care-insurance-risks-benefits-30043.html
One way to also plan is to understand what your state offers to seniors. Some states will help pay for in-home care for those that are medicaid eligible. States are different too in how they treat the estate of those that took medicaid monies.

I honestly don't know how to prepare but i , and I am eternally grateful to God that I was able to; was able to live with and care for both of my parents until they went to God.

I truly wish that parents and family members were looked after by their loved ones rather than nursing homes, unless totally necessary
My grandparents also lived with my parents when they got older and it was wonderful having three generations living together.

It is sad to hear older people say that they do not want to be burdens to their children because if you truly love someone, even if it is hard at times, they are never a burden.
We, as families are responsible for one another in good times and bad.
And of course we have God who will always be with us.

It is extremely difficult at times for family as well when they have no choice but to have their parents or grandparents go into a nursing home or care facility. My parents were primary caretakers of my grandma who has dementia until she was 97 years old. She fell, had heart surgery and somehow her dementia took a severe turn for the worse. For years she had been unable to be alone at all (24/7 care) and she ended up requiring more than we all could give her - it wasn’t even safe for her at night at home. We are there we her very frequently, every day at least one of us is there. It isn’t easy though - and it is so hard to say no to her wanting to go home.

Long story short, sometimes nursing care isn’t even an optional thing to do. Even so, they only accepted her this place she she is 97. If she was younger, she wouldn’t have qualified based on money. It can be a massive amount of money to stay at a good home.

christine40 said:

our child has four aging grandparents and we see the toll of aging as well as the cost

aging happens to all of us
how do we prepare?

Click to expand...

Are they in good mental health that would allow them to understand discussions about various potential paths in the future? Could they help with plans? My grandma thought she would live her whole life with my parents. Combine that with dementia and she doesn’t understand why at all. Maybe being open about concerns or potential paths in gentle way would help?

Take this as a grain of salt though - it is a difficult situation and I don’t know that there is any “good” way.

Heavenhome said:

I honestly don't know how to prepare but i , and I am eternally grateful to God that I was able to; was able to live with and care for both of my parents until they went to God.

I truly wish that parents and family members were looked after by their loved ones rather than nursing homes, unless totally necessary
My grandparents also lived with my parents when they got older and it was wonderful having three generations living together.

It is sad to hear older people say that they do not want to be burdens to their children because if you truly love someone, even if it is hard at times, they are never a burden.
We, as families are responsible for one another in good times and bad.
And of course we have God who will always be with us.

Click to expand...

Lovely testimony (and I agree).

I’ve broached the subject from several angles. I’m in my forties with an adult child.

It is my responsibility to take care of myself. This means maintaining a good diet, exercising, and routine medical care.

I must heed medical warnings and alter behaviors that might create ailments or exacerbate existing ones. I don’t have the luxury of being reckless and expect others to deal with the mess when I’m older.

It’s my responsibility to exercise financial discipline and set aside the resources I require for health care and living expenses. I must be mindful of my life season and make the necessary changes in residence and reduction of possessions.

It is my responsibility to keep my daughter abreast of my health and any issues that arise. She must have a current list of physicians and medications that’s updated as needed. Special arrangements should be discussed and agreed on beforehand (e.g., DNR) to minimize stress or uncertainty for everyone involved.

She should have access to all monies and legal steps should be in place for unforeseen events to facilitate execution without delay.

We should have a clear understanding of her capacity as advisor and caretaker. Long-term issues should be addressed before they arise. If in-home or nursing facilities are necessary we should explore our options beforehand.

If I felt she was incapable of functioning in the role or making wise decisions, I should appoint another in her place. It shouldn’t be left to chance.

There was a time when families could take care of it's own members and Churches would do the same.
Abortion hasn't helped the first and narcissism hasn't helped the second.

christine40 said:

"An estimated 70% of people currently turning 65 will require long-term care in their lifetime, and they will receive care for an average of 3 years."

I know we can pray to be healthy into old age
statistically, we may be one of the 70% needing care


as a Christian, how do we plan for aging needs?

Click to expand...

One way to prepare is to raise a doctor or successful businessman who can take care of you when you're old. Barring that, at least here in the US it's important to put as much money in your 401k as possible. The more money you have socked away for retirement the less of a financial burden you'll be on your family. I wish the Church was doing more on this issue though. There was a time in Christian history, not really that long ago, when denominations funded hospitals to care for poor Christians. Nearly every city has a Catholic hospital or a Presbyterian or Methodist hospital. Those hospitals are now largely in name only, with the churches not providing much of the funding. I wish the church would perhaps consider funding Christian long term care facilities. I suspect that isn't going to happen anytime soon. The Church has gotten away from its historic role of providing education and other services to the poor in its midst.

I know my mom has emphatically stated that I am to take care of her and she is not to go into a nursing home. However, she is also showing signs of Alzheimer's and while I am an EMT, there will come a time when even my ability to care for her will be limited due to the disease.

I would have to put her in a nursing home. There comes a time when you are given no other choice with this illness.

I agree with @nanookadenord .

Dementia in all forms is a horrible disease and eventually it often gets to the point that full time skilled care is needed. It is extremely difficult to see it happening to family members, as we’ve seen first hand with my grandma (right now).

Prayers for you all, both @christine40 with the stroke and @nanookadenord with the Alzheimers.

christine40 said:

that works up to a point

if you have a stroke and have to go into a long term care facility and don't have enough for it (costs about 7,000/month), then going on Medicaid may happen

if there's a spouse, they add up assets and take a lot & that would include any 401k
the spouse not going into care can still live in the house

BUT when spouse not in long term care dies and house is sold, Medicaid will take money to pay for amount being used for spouse in long term care

so if this happens, there won't be anything to pass down to children as many parents wish
Medicaid, depending on the state, looks back at assets from 5 to 7 yrs
it's all very complicated and so many rules upon rules

Click to expand...

I agree it's complicated all the way around. My point was simply that the more money you have socked away for retirement the less likely it is that you will have to depend on others, particularly your children. There are obviously lots of complicating factors and varying situations. There's no one size fits all solution when and if long term care is needed.

christine40 said:

we're finding out more
if an elderly person ends up in hospital for any reason (breaking hip, stroke, pneumonia) and they are deemed unable to go back home and then will go directly somewhere after hospital allowed time is up

many places have long waiting lists
just FYI, so you might want to check places out and get on a list if you think this is in your loved one's future (if they don't go to hospital for something and get evaluated)

Click to expand...

As an EMT, I actually have an insiders view so to speak as to how good a place is.

There are several that I wouldn't put my worst enemy into.

We looked at some dementia “neighborhoods” and some of them actually looked like prison wards, bars and all. Dementia patients still have desires, wants, needs and should be given respect, no matter their current situation. I agree - some places are not good at all. The sad thing is for those who do not have the money or whose family does not have the money to place them in care of a good facility. Its difficult with any place let alone a subpar facility.

Redwingfan9 said:

I agree it's complicated all the way around. My point was simply that the more money you have socked away for retirement the less likely it is that you will have to depend on others, particularly your children. There are obviously lots of complicating factors and varying situations. There's no one size fits all solution when and if long term care is needed.

Click to expand...

That’s true. Many don’t factor in the familial and financial responsibilities their children have. This is something you plan for in their youth to allow the resources to grow and mature.

Assisted living has become a lucrative market and dementia facilities are on rise. I saw an article about a luxury facility being built in New York. There’s an obvious need across all socioeconomic levels.

There’s a disparity of hands in relation to the aging population were moving towards. I don’t know how it will turn out.