{"id":146859,"date":"2026-07-15T18:49:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T23:49:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/?p=146859"},"modified":"2026-07-15T18:49:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T23:49:16","slug":"family-living-focus-planning-for-long-term-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/family-living-focus-planning-for-long-term-care\/","title":{"rendered":"Family Living Focus: Planning For Long Term Care"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gail Gilman, Family Life Consultant, M.Ed., C.F.C.S. and Professor<\/em>
\nEmeritus, University of Minnesota<\/em><\/p>\n

Most older people are independent but later in life, especially in the 80s
\nand 90s you or someone you know may begin to need help with everyday
\nactivities like shopping, cooking, walking, or bathing.\u00a0 For many people,
\nlong-term care may mean a little help from family and friends or regular
\nvisits by a home health aide.\u00a0 For others who are frail or suffering from
\ndementia, long-term care may involve moving to a place where professional
\ncare is available 24 hours a day.<\/p>\n

The good news is that families have more choices in long-term care than ever
\nbefore.\u00a0 Today, services can provide the needed help while letting you stay
\nactive and connected with family, friends, and neighbors.\u00a0 These services
\ninclude home health care, adult day care, and transportation services for
\nfrail seniors as well as foster care, assisted living and retirement
\ncommunities, and skilled nursing facilities (nursing homes).<\/p>\n

Planning Ahead
\nThe key to successful long-term care is planning.\u00a0 You or your family may
\nneed to make a decision in a hurry, often after an unexpected emergency like
\na broken hip.\u00a0 Be prepared by getting information ahead of time.\u00a0 That way,
\nyou will know what is available and affordable before there is a crisis. To
\nstart:<\/p>\n

*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0If you are having trouble with things like bathing, managing
\nfinances, or driving, talk with your doctor and other health care
\nprofessionals about your need for help.\u00a0 A special type of social worker,
\ncalled a geriatric case manager, can help you and your family through this
\ncomplex time by developing a long-term care plan and locating appropriate
\nservices.\u00a0 Geriatric case managers can be particularly helpful when family
\nmembers live a long distance apart.
\n*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0If you are helping a family member or friend, talk about the best
\nway to meet his or her needs.\u00a0 If you need help for yourself, talk with your
\nfamily.\u00a0 For instance, if you are having trouble making your meals, do you
\nwant meals delivered by a local program or would you like family and friends
\nto help?\u00a0 Would you let a paid aide in your home?\u00a0 If you do not drive,
\nwould you like a friend or bus service to take you to the doctor or other
\nappointments?
\n*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Learn about the types of services and care in your community.
\nDoctors, social workers, and others who see you for regular care may have
\nsuggestions.
\n*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Find out how you may or may not be covered by insurance.\u00a0 Insurance
\nmay offer short-term home health and nursing home benefits.<\/p>\n

Be aware that figuring out care for the long term is not easy.\u00a0 Needs may
\nchange over time. What worked 6 months ago may no longer apply.\u00a0 Insurance
\ncoverage is often limited, and families may have problems paying for
\nservices.\u00a0 In addition, rules about programs and benefits change, and it is
\nhard to know from one year to the next what may be available.<\/p>\n

A Need for More Care
\nAt some point, support from family, friends, or local meal or transportation
\nprograms may not be enough.\u00a0 If you need a lot of help with everyday
\nactivities, you may need to move to a place where care is available around
\nthe clock.\u00a0 There are two types of residential care:<\/p>\n

*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Assisted living arrangements are available in large apartments or
\nhotel-like buildings or can be set up as “board and care” homes for a small
\nnumber of people.\u00a0 They offer various levels of care, but often include
\nmeals, recreation, security, and help with bathing, dressing, medication,
\nand housekeeping. *
\n*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Skilled nursing facilities – “nursing homes” – provide 24-hour
\nservices and supervision. They provide medical care and rehabilitation for
\nresidents, who are mostly very frail or suffer from the later stages of
\ndementia.\u00a0 Sometimes, health care providers offer various levels of care at
\none site.\u00a0 These “continuing care communities” often locate an assisted
\nliving facility next to a nursing home so that people can move from one type
\nof care to another if necessary. Several offer programs for couples, trying
\nto meet needs when one spouse is doing well but the other has become
\ndisabled.<\/p>\n

Finding the Right Place
\nTo find the residential program that is best for you:<\/p>\n

*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Ask questions.\u00a0 Find out about specific facilities in your area.
\nDoctors, friends and relatives, local hospital discharge planners and social
\nworkers, and religious organizations can help.\u00a0 Other types of residential
\narrangements, like “board and care” homes, do not follow the same federal,
\nstate, or local licensing requirements or regulations as nursing homes.
\nTalk to people in your community or local social service agencies to find
\nout which facilities seem to be well run.
\n*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Call.\u00a0 Contact the places that interest you.\u00a0 Ask basic questions
\nabout vacancies, number of residents, costs and method of payment, and
\nparticipation in Medicare and Medicaid.\u00a0 Also think about what is important
\nto you, such as transportation, meals, housekeeping, activities, special
\nunits for Alzheimer’s disease, or medication policies.
\n*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Visit.\u00a0 When you find a place that seems right, talk to the staff,
\nresidents, and, if possible, family members of residents.\u00a0 Set up an
\nappointment but also go unannounced and at various times of the day.\u00a0 See if
\nthe staff treats residents with respect and tries to meet the needs of each
\nperson.\u00a0 Check if the building is clean and safe.\u00a0 Are residents restrained
\nin any way?\u00a0 Are social activities and exercise programs offered and
\nenjoyed?\u00a0 Do residents have personal privacy?\u00a0 Is the facility secure for
\npeople and their belongings?\u00a0 Eat a meal there to see if you like the food.<\/p>\n

*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Understand.\u00a0 Once you have made a choice, be sure you understand the
\nfacility’s contract and financial agreement.\u00a0 It is a good idea to have a
\nlawyer review them before you sign.<\/p>\n

A Smooth Transition
\nMoving from home to a long-term care facility or nursing home is a big
\nchange. It affects the whole family.\u00a0 Some facilities or community groups
\nhave a social worker who can help you prepare for the change.\u00a0 Allow some
\ntime to adjust after the move has taken place. Regular visits by family and
\nfriends are important.\u00a0 They can be reassuring and comforting. Visits are
\nnecessary, too, for keeping an eye on the care that is being given.<\/p>\n

Look for more Family Living Focus information from Gail Gilman, Family Life
\nConsultant, M.Ed., C.F.C.S., and Professor Emeritus – University of
\nMinnesota, in next week’s paper.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gail Gilman, Family Life Consultant, M.Ed., C.F.C.S. and Professor Emeritus, University of Minnesota Most older people are independent but later in life, especially in the 80s and 90s you or someone you know may begin to need help with everyday activities like shopping, cooking, walking, or bathing.\u00a0 For many people, long-term care may mean a …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":142950,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[191],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-146859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsletters"],"aioseo_notices":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":true,"date":"2026-10-26 18:47:00","action":"change-status","newStatus":"trash","terms":[0],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146859"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146859\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":146860,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146859\/revisions\/146860"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/142950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}