What Are the Goals Of Long-Term Care?

It is estimated that around 70 percent of people will end up needing long-term care at some point during their lives. This is especially true today, as life spans increase and as people seek to extend the healthy, active periods of their lives. Long-term care differs from what is known as “acute care,” where a person needs assistance only until they are recovered fully from an injury or illness. As its name suggests, long-term care can last months or even years. The goal of long-term care is to assist a person with physical or emotional needs that they may not be able to address on their own.

What Is Long-Term Care?

As we age, many activities of daily living become more challenging. A person may require assistance in order to maintain a robust quality of life. Many activities of daily living can become more difficult as a result of aging, illness, or injury. Some of these basic activities include getting dressed, walking from place to place, cooking food, doing laundry, driving from location to location, shopping, and doing basic chores around the home.

The goal of long-term care can vary greatly from person to person, as each individual’s needs are quite different. Some people require assistance with certain activities but not others, while other people will need 24/7 care and help with most of the basic activities of daily living.

Who Provides It?

Long-term care is provided by professional caregivers with many different backgrounds and specialties. Ideally, the person requiring this care should be in a community with both highly trained professionals and plenty of social interaction. Studies have shown that keeping the mind and body active helps to reduce decline as a result of aging, which is why another goal of long-term care is to provide activities that can do just that. These activities can include games, art, travel, and others.

Assisted living communities like the Mission at Agua Fria offer many different activities to ensure a robust quality of life for every resident. The Mission stresses the importance of an active social life at any age, offering plenty of activities to ensure that residents stay emotionally as well as physically healthy. We also offer 24-hours on-site care as well as memory care. The Mission is even pet-friendly.

How Do You Pay for Long-Term Care?

There are several ways you can choose to pay for long-term care. In many cases, health insurance will cover it, including government programs such as Medicare. Sometimes, there is an out-of-pocket copayment. There may also be programs available for veterans, which you can consider if you or the person you are seeking care for is a military veteran.

long-term care is to be available to everyone, regardless of their financial situation, so with a bit of research, you should be able to discover a program that will work effectively within your budget.