We made referrals to Geriatricians, home health care agencies, attorneys, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, government agencies, prescription drug programs, meal programs, caregiver support groups, transportation programs, and to anyone else who would be able to help.

I listened, almost to the point of tears at times, to the sons, daughters, and spouses who have quit their jobs and lost their own health care benefits, used their own son and / or daughter’s college education fund, taken out a home equity loan and even sold the family cottage to pay for or to be able to provide care for a family member.

I heard a doctor who is a geriatric specialist speak on the 4 D’s of geriatric psychiatry: dementia, delirium, depression and drugs. Our population is aging and most baby boomers and their parents have not and are not prepared to deal with it financially or emotionally. Today there are over 4 million cases of dementia being treated in the U.S. alone. According to the doctor, Alzheimer’s disease is only 1 type of dementia and it is the #4 cause of death in the U.S. population. It is the #1 most expensive disease to treat and costs over 120 billion dollars per year. It is at quasi-epidemic proportions now and said to triple in the next ten years.

Think about it! Is this a reason to plan? Life is made up of one change after another. Just about the time we think everything is just fine, we come to another bump in the road. As responsible adults we need to plan for the possible catastrophic, life-changing event. If our health or that of a family member changes dramatically because of a serious illness or injury we want to have the best possible care and we’d probably want to receive that care in our own home or that of a loved one for as long as possible.

NOW THAT WE UNDERSTAND THE NEED, HOW DO WE PLAN?

In 1965 Long-Term Care insurance came into existence. The policies that are being put in place today do not bare the slightest resemblance to those that were first sold. These policies are extremely comprehensive and are NOT to be thought of as Nursing Home insurance. Long –Term Care insurance may be the only thing that will keep a person out of a nursing home today.

It is in the best interest of the consumer to seek out a person who specializes in Long-Term Care insurance and represents multiple companies. Most agents today represent one or two companies. They are generally life insurance agents or the agent that you purchased your auto or homeowners insurance from. You probably also have a person who prepares your tax return and someone else who gives you investment advice. These individuals are excellent at what they do and they take very good care of their clients. It is important to know that Long-Term Care is not a commodity insurance product. This is the one insurance that should not be purchased based on price or convenience.

If you have heart problems you don’t see a general practitioner, you seek out a cardiac specialist. Most agents are not familiar with the intricacies of the various insurance companies that are now making Long-Term Care insurance available. They tend to sell based on price alone with little regard for the variance in coverage contained in the Long-Term Care insurance policies. You don’t want to find out at time of claim that you do not have the policy that you think you purchased.

Use your "specialist" as a Long- Term Care insurance resource. He or she can do the "shopping" for you; this is what they have been trained in and educated to do. Policies are changing all the time as medical technology improves and the health care delivery system evolves to address the needs of our graying population.

Dorothy McMahon is a Long Term Care Insurance Specialist, a Certified Senior Advisor and President of McMahon and Associates Ltd. Call her at (800) 727-0045 or visit on line at http://www.mcmahonltcins.com. She is available for group presentations.