For some reason, people seem to interchange the meanings of long term care, long term care insurance, and short-term care. Regardless of how closely related these terms are, each of them have different meanings and cater to separate needs.
Seasons Retirement has provided detailed information about this subject so that you can learn more about the differences between long term care and retirement homes.
Read further to understand what long term care is, who it is for, what short-term care and long-term insurance and the types of long term care facilities.
What is Long term Care?
An independent person should be able to accomplish some basic daily chores on their own.
If, for some reason, a person can no longer perform these daily activities like bathing, eating, dressing, etc., on their own without assistance, the help they receive is referred to as long-term care.
Concisely, long term care is the assistance given to people who can no longer perform their day-to-day tasks independently over an indefinite period. This is because they may likely require care for the rest of their lives. People may suddenly need long-term care due to health conditions such as stroke, heart attack, Alzheimer’s, and so on.
Long term care may also be needed as a result of a disability. However, more often than not, the need gradually develops due to people getting older or as their disability or illness progresses.
Meanwhile, along with non-medical services, long term care also provides indefinite skilled nursing services. It’s suitable for older adults with medical ailments like stroke, dementia, Alzheimer or Parkinson’s disease.
Importantly, though long term care can be medical care, it may also be non-medical care for the most part. Some assistance, care, and services that contribute to long term care are:
1. Home care
As the name suggests, this type of care is in-home care that caters to people in their places of residence. It’s a well-known type of long-term care.
Older adults who are attached and prefer to age at home may utilize this form of long term care. It provides in-home care and aid to help older people stay safe and live as independently as possible.
It involves assisting older people in carrying out their day-to-day activities such as bathing, grooming, using the toilet, changing position, moving around the house, etc., through a personal care assistant or aide.
It also involves aiding older adults in matters outside everyday living such as shopping, transportation, meal preparations, house cleaning, etc. This form of care is sometimes referred to as companion care services.
Home health care also caters to people who need little aid with medical activities like checking vital signs, insulin injection, etc.
2. Nursing home care
This type of long term care offers skilled nursing services. It provides 24/7 extensive medical care and supervision. Additionally, it offers other services like medication management, skilled nursing care, rehabilitation therapies, recreational activities, and personal care aides.
3. Adult daycare
This form of long-term care is designed like a community arrangement. Adult daycare is ideal for your loved one if you or the caregiver works during the day or needs a break. It provides older adults with several services such as personal care assistance, medical and therapeutic care, recreational and occupational activities.
Some adult day care also offers transportation services.
4. Memory Care
This form of long-term care is specifically for people dealing with Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia or cognitive impairment.
Often, memory care is given within a nursing home or assisted living arrangements. However, memory care homes are also designed to cater to dementia patients. Since these patients tend to wander, they can do so safely within a memory care unit.
The on-site staff are trained to cater to people battling dementia and cognitive impairment. Thus, they provide 24/7 care and supervision to these categories of people.
Who is Long term Care for?
Learning what is long term care will give you an idea of who needs long term care. Long term care program assists people who cannot carry out their daily living activities independently.
It also caters to those with severe medical conditions and disabilities who may require care for the rest of their lives. The group likely to need long-term care include:
- People with a family health history.
- Women, because they generally outlive men and grow older.
- Older adults as they grow older.
- People who have a poor diet and lifestyle.
What is Short-term Care?
As the name implies, short-term care is the care that is provided for a definite period till the patient gets better. Depending on the person’s needs, it may take a couple of days to a few months. Often, it involves rehabilitation or the care given to a sick person following an accident or recovery from surgery.
Depending on your loved ones’ needs, like long-term care, short-term care can be offered in different arrangements. It could be in their homes, hospitals, nursing home residence, etc.
Long-term Care Insurance
However, often mistaken with long-term care, just as the name implies, this is an insurance program. Long-term care insurance is an insurance policy that offers financial aid for long-term care to people dealing with serious, life-altering diseases and disabilities that debilitate with time. Such medical conditions include Alzheimer’s, Lewy Body dementia, and Parkinson’s disease.
Long-term care insurance, like other insurances, is purchased before the need for the care arises. Even though it is expensive to get, it’s beneficial since health insurance doesn’t cover needs that aren’t medically related.
When needed, long-term insurance provides hospital care, medical equipment, personal care assistance, etc. Like long-term care, insurance services can be offered within several arrangements. These arrangements could be older persons’ homes, adult nursing homes, and adult daycare. In the absence of long-term care insurance, people can pay for the care they receive or start planning ahead of time when the need for long-term care may arise.
Misconceptions Concerning Long Term Care
- Because long-term care insurance is sometimes wrongly referred to as long-term care, people assume it naturally covers long-term care.
- People frequently assume that they would not need long-term care; however, it’s best to prepare and plan for such occurrences since life is unpredictable.
Conclusion
In summary, short-term care is the assistance given to a temporal condition that would improve or heal over time. Long-term care is the care and supervision given to people who cannot afford to do their daily living activities independently or whose medical conditions could worsen over time.
Long-term Care Insurance is, however, an insurance policy that is purchased. In return, it caters to and covers some services for your loved ones when they need long-term care.
