Expert advice on planning for your own or a relative’s future care needs As we live longer and healthier lives, planning for the long term has never been more important. Planning gives you more control, but it’s not easy to find accurate information and answers to your questions. That’s where AARP’s Planning For Long-Term Care For Dummies comes in. This comprehensive guide gives you questions to ask yourself and others about how best to achieve your goals, whether you have immediate needs or can take some time to sort out the possibilities. The book Covers home modifications so that you can stay at home safely for as long as you like Lays out the opportunities and costs associated with independent living, assisted living, and other options Gives you a range of driving and transportation alternatives Sorts out the various sources of care at home Helps you navigate the healthcare system Reviews the legal documents you should prepare and update Helps you determine whether you need long-term care insurance Offers checklists and other resources to help you make decisions Gives you guidance on how to talk to your family about sensitive issues If you're looking for trusted information on how to prepare for the future care needs for yourself or a relative, this sensitive, realistic, and authoritative guide will start you on the right road.

Among the issues confronting America is long-term care for frail, older persons and others with chronic conditions and functional limitations that limit their ability to care for themselves. Improving the Quality of Long-Term Care takes a comprehensive look at the quality of care and quality of life in long-term care, including nursing homes, home health agencies, residential care facilities, family members and a variety of others. This book describes the current state of long-term care, identifying problem areas and offering recommendations for federal and state policymakers. Who uses long-term care? How have the characteristics of this population changed over time? What paths do people follow in long term care? The committee provides the latest information on these and other key questions. This book explores strengths and limitations of available data and research literature especially for settings other than nursing homes, on methods to measure, oversee, and improve the quality of long-term care. The committee makes recommendations on setting and enforcing standards of care, strengthening the caregiving workforce, reimbursement issues, and expanding the knowledge base to guide organizational and individual caregivers in improving the quality of care.

Life expectancy is increasing in many parts of the world and more are also being enabled to live with disabling conditions that once might have been fatal. People who are chronically ill, have serious disabilities, have HIV/AIDS, are mentally ill, or victims of accidents and disasters, or elderly - many will need continuing care and support and these numbers will grow. How best to meet these needs is getting more attention. Such care is not to just look after the sick but to enable those with long term illnesses or disabilities to live their lives as fully as possible. Institutionalization is often not the best way of care and the home where the patient lives with family members and friends nearby is often more appropriate. This report examines the options, highlighting the clear benefits of home-based care whilst being aware of the needs of the carers in the home. The report stresses it is time for health systems to take responsibility for providing caregivers in families and communities with the support they both need, and to bring greater benefit to the patient.

Written by an elder law attorney with over 23 years experience, this book will help anyone with a family member faced with a long-term stay in a nursing home who wishes to preserve at least some of their assets by qualifying for the Medicaid program. You dont have to be broke to qualify! For the first time ever, the inside secrets of high-priced estate planning and elder law attorneys are revealed. Includes a summary of all income and asset rules for both married and single individuals, together with numerous examples and several case studies, which take the reader through the same thought processes that an experienced elder law attorney would go through when analyzing a real-life clients situation. The book includes tips on: how to title your home so you do not lose it to the state; how to make transfers to family members that wont disqualify you from Medicaid; how annuities make assets disappear; smart tricks for spending down your assets; what to change in your will to save thousands of dollars if your spouse ever needs nursing home care; avoiding the states reimbursement claim following the nursing home residents death; and much more. Completely up-to-date, the book includes the massive changes made by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 as well as the December 2006 Tax Relief and Health Care Act amendments.

Offers advice and recommendations from AARP experts and other specialists on planning for the financial, medical, legal, and personal aspects of long-term elder care.

Comprehensive overview of every kind of long-term care service; how to decide which option is best for you or your loved one; everything you need to know about your financial options.