Long-term care encompasses a range of services and supports that a person may need in order to meet his or her needs. Personal care needs typically encompass things like assistance with activities of daily living and medical care. The majority of individuals over 65 years of age require some type of long-term care. Therefore, it is vital that everyone over the age of 65 undertake long-term care planning with the assistance of an experienced elder care attorney. Below are some other reasons that everyone in this age range should plan for long-term care:
- Family relocation is common – As opposed to the past, when people generally remained in the same geographic location throughout their lives, children today often move far away from their parents upon reaching a certain age, and the elderly often relocate following retirement. This all but eliminates the ability of children to provide long-term care for their parents unless a proper plan is in place.
- People are living longer – The fastest-growing group of people in the country are those over the age of 85. And, unfortunately, the older a person is, the more likely it is that he or she will require long-term care. In addition, medical improvements over the years have lowered incidents of early death, resulting in an older population in need of long-term care.
- Health today doesn’t ensure health tomorrow – People often forgo long-term care planning when they are healthy. Unfortunately, however, present good health isn’t necessarily an indicator of future good health. Therefore, even healthy individuals in their 50s and 60s should engage in long-term care planning.
- Dementia is common – Unfortunately, almost half of all people over 85 years old have dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Long-term care is usually required to deal with these issues.
- Demographics are changing – People tend to have fewer children these days. In addition, the number of single-person households is increasing. These facts, combined with a growing elderly population, will eventually lead to a situation in which the number of people who need long-term care is larger than the number of family caregivers.
- Government resources are insufficient – The growing elderly population is stretching government programs exceedingly thin in the area of long-term care services. As the number of elderly individuals continues to grow, this situation will only get worse. Therefore, it’s imperative to have a long-term care plan in place that accounts for a decline in the availability of government resources.
Mississippi Elder Care Attorneys
At Palmer & Slay, PLLC, we utilize our education, experience, talents, and abilities to provide excellent legal service to clients in Rankin County and the Jackson metropolitan area. Whether practicing in the areas of estate planning, elder law, probate law, or others, our goal is to help our clients achieve peace of mind by providing the most effective and efficient legal assistance possible. Please contact us today for a free consultation.