Have you seriously thought about the cost of long-term care? Long-term costs include the monthly fees for assisted living, nursing home or other types of senior housing. Did you know that assisted-living cost an average of $3,000 a month? A nursing home is a staggering $8,000 a month typically.

In This Long-Term Care Cost Article:

Introduction About Dr. Marion Somers
Question and Answer About Cost of Long Term Care Costs
Closing Statement About Long Term Care

Introduction About Dr. Marion Somers

Dr. Marion Somers, Ph.D., is an award winning and nationally recognized geriatric care manager. During the past 30 years, Dr. Somers has provided quality care for more than 2000 seniors. The goal of Dr. Somers is to make a positive impact by helping educate caregivers. She has made caring for seniors her life’s work.

Interview with Dr. Somers About Long Term Care Planning and Costs

Dr. Marion Somers is on a nine-week national bus tour to raise awareness about planning for long-term care. Dr. Somers was in South Orange County, California last month (August 2011) speaking to health experts at an industry meeting in Irvine, California. I had the privilege of interviewing her. Here is the summary of my interview with Dr. Somers.

"I want to grab people by the lapels and shout at them 'You Are Going to Die Someday. We All Are!'" says Dr. Marion Somers, an elder-care expert and author.

Q. You say there is a national refusal to hear what you are preaching?
A. There is some attitude that grandma has an endless stream of money and can pay for endless support. Or the boomers themselves simply will not plan and save for what is inevitable – their own elder care.

We are going to have national chaos. We must deal with this issue.

Q. Is living in assisted living facility, assisted living community or nursing home inevitable?
A. No. But then we need to elder-proof our own homes to care for a person, and boomers won't do this either. We need to make them safer and eliminate clutter. Even do simple things like up the wattage of light bulbs. Elders need more light.

Q. What is this program you're promoting with your travels?
A. 3in4 Need More (3in4NeedMore.com) is a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness that three in four Americans will need these long-term care services but are not prepared to pay for them. And these services, which can cost thousands of dollars, are not covered by traditional health care insurance or Medicare.

As Americans plan for retirement, most don't realize their future health-care costs can wipe out their nest eggs in just a few months. The simple act of planning ahead can alleviate the financial and emotional burden to yourself and your loved ones.

Q. So you are traveling in your 1960s Greyhound to these cities. Good results?
A. It's tough to get people to listen to the message.

My advice is to prepare for CARE by:

C: Considering your risks. How likely is it you will need long-term care?
A: Assessing your needs. Who will care for you and how will you pay for it?
R: Researching costs. Determine the costs of long-term care in your city.
E: Educating yourself. Understand all your options from savings to long-term care insurance and so on.

Q. It's really interesting to go to the 3in4needmore.com website and calculate the costs of care in different states.
A. Well, the costs are obviously significantly higher in some cities. It's pretty important to know what you are facing where you plan to spend your final days. Maybe you're going to move to be near adult children? You need to take that all into account.

Q. You have a contest going on?
A. On the website, 3in4contest.com, if you are a caregiver, you can enter the contest to win some $50,000 in prizes, including a week of health and relaxation treatments for yourself and an in-home safety and elder-proofing session.

Q. Have you been at this a long time?
A. I've been advising people on elder care for 40 years.

It is important to prepare for your long term needs especially for the costs. But it is also important not to forget your own funeral arrangements and obituary information. We all know things about ourselves no one else know so it's always better to be prepared.

About the Author:

Jane Glenn Haas is a multi-media personality – a newspaper writer, national columnist, book author, television host, professional speaker and founder of WomanSage, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering, educating and fostering mentoring relationships among women at midlife. Jane has been twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, she has been honored for Excellence in Aging Reporting with the Hugh Downs Award of the International Longevity Center; the American Society on Aging Media Award; the American Medical Writers Association Rose Kushner Award; the American Heart Association C. Everett Koop Award; the Alzheimer’s Association Rosemary Award, and many others.

Articles Related to Long Term Care:

• Guide To Long Term Care Insurance
• Long Term Care Planning
• Types Long Term Care Facilities
• Major Factors That Influence the Fees For Long Term Care Facilities
• Payment Options for Long Term Care
• Senior Housing Move-in Specials and Discounts
   

Other SeniorCareHomes.com Helpful Links:

• Seniors Online Community & Long Term Care Discussion Forum
• Long Term Care Facility Search
• Long Term Care Facility Registration