Stretch Your Assets for Long Term Care

In the previous years, people would oppose the idea of buying a long term care insurance (LTCI) policy for their future health care needs. Different reasons shall come bursting from their mouths. In the end, its Medicaid that shoulders their expenses.

Financial advisors and elder care specialists advise everybody to make it different this year. Perhaps tweaking their retirement plans a bit will make a significant impact on their finances and the quality of care that they will receive in the future.

Although buying an LTCI policy still tops their list of recommendations, they also suggest asset stretching to ensure that you won’t run short of money when the time comes you would need nursing home care or any form of elderly care for that matter.

According to the experts, stretching one’s assets may sound easy but in reality it will require a lot of effort because humans, by nature, prefer to spend their money rather than invest it on something that will guarantee the security of their future.

For a start though, today’s members of the workforce, preferably those in their mid 40s, can start thinking of a good business wherein they can put their retirement money and let it grow in the next 10 to 20 years. After all, hardly are there retirees these days who immediately turn to their children or other family members. Upon leaving their jobs, most of them remain active and continue to thrive on other fields or they vacation around the world.

Most senior folks only experience change in health by the time they hit their late 70s or early 80s.

Strengthened Resources for Long Term Care Expenses

Every year the cost of care increases approximately by 5%. In some states, you’ll even see rates of nursing homes, in-home care and community-based care growing by 10% or 15%. The cost in an area would really depend on the population that requires care and the availability of care providers.

Having knowledge in the cost of care in your place is a good way to start your plan for your future health care. Once you’ve gathered the data, assess your nest egg and the amount of money that you are expecting from the company that you are working for upon your retirement. Is the total amount going to be enough to cover a year’s stay in a nursing home? What about three years in a nursing home?

If you’re not confident that it will, that’s a sign that you need to establish an effective retirement plan to keep you financially sound even when the need for care arises.

According to professional nurses, the average length of stay of an elderly in a nursing home is three years. With this information in mind, you can probably work out a three-year plan.

If you’re wondering why a nursing home is always used as a gauge for one’s long term care (LTC) plan, the answer is simple. Rates of nursing homes are significantly higher than those of assisted living facilities, adult day health care centers, and other LTC facilities. If you can afford a nursing home, then you are financially capable for anything.