Long-Term Care
Traditionally, a person needing long-term care would turn to family members to provide unpaid, informal services. However, with a higher incidence of divorce, dual-career families, and a mobile society, it is less likely that an extended family will be available to provide care. If a person has substantial savings, they could use them to pay directly for the full cost of care. However, few have such infinite resources.
Although many people who need long-term care can rely on unpaid help from family and friends for some period, this type of voluntary care typically and eventually runs its course, well-meaning family and friends find they are not able to keep up with the physical and emotional demands of providing LTC in addition to their many other responsibilities and obligations. Many are simply not equipped to provide the necessary level of care, and others do not have the financial resources to sustain the commitment. Furthermore, as these individuals learn, Medicare is not a true option for paying for LTC services.
So, the only recourse to long-term care is Medicaid or a similar government-sponsored program for those without insurance coverage and without significant financial or family care resources.
