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5 surprising long-term care insurance benefits you should know
The likelihood that we’ll need some form of long-term care increases significantly as we age. But while the majority of adults over age 65 will need long-term care at some point, the costs of that type of care can be very high. For example, the average cost for a private room in a nursing home is expected to be over $120,000 per year in 2024, according to Genworth’s Cost of Care Survey. And, home health aide services to allow aging in place are expected to average over $77,000 annually this year.
Those types of hefty long-term care expenses can be difficult to cover out of pocket, especially if you’re on a limited income during retirement. And, the cost of long-term care is only expected to increase in the years ahead, so it’s important to take steps now to prepare for the potential costs.
One option you have is investing in a long-term care insurance policy, which can help cut down on the long-term care expenses you may face in the future. And, many people are surprised to learn that these policies actually provide a suite of additional benefits beyond the primary nursing home and home care coverages.
Find out more about your top long-term care insurance options online today.
5 surprising long-term care insurance benefits you should know
The following benefits offered by long-term care insurance may surprise you:
Care planning services
Being thrust into a situation where you or a loved one needs long-term care is emotionally challenging and can be incredibly confusing to navigate. And that’s where the care planning services offered by many long-term care insurers can be invaluable.
These professionals do more than simply make sure you are aware of what your policy covers. They take a comprehensive approach to evaluating your individual needs and situation and develop a plan to ensure you get the right level of care and leverage all applicable benefits. Having an expert counselor and advocate in your corner provides exceptional peace of mind during a difficult transition.
Compare your best long-term care insurance options now.
Home modification benefits
As we age, our homes often need to be modified with accessibility features to allow for safe, comfortable aging in place. This can include ramps, grab bars, walk-in showers, stair lifts and more. And, the cost of making a home accessible can easily surpass by thousands of dollars, making it difficult for many people to afford these modifications out of pocket.
But the good news is that many long-term care insurance policies provide benefits for these types of modifications if they are deemed medically necessary based on your condition. Some policies will even cover the full cost. Having this help to make your home safe, accessible and accommodating of future needs can be a huge benefit of purchasing a long-term care insurance policy.
Caregiver training
Family members will often take on the role of unpaid caregiver for a loved one, but doing so can be a demanding job that they often have no training for. And, caregiving duties like transferring patients, managing medication and providing personal care require specialized skills.
That’s where long-term care insurance can help. Certain policies will cover training courses to teach informal caregivers these crucial skills. This training helps caregivers avoid injury, burnout and provide better care overall. And, given that the value of unpaid caregiving in the U.S. exceeded $600 billion annually in 2021, maximizing the quality of that care is hugely important.
Respite care
Family caregivers can suffer from burnout, depression and health issues due to the physical and mental toll of caregiving. In these cases, respite care benefits can be a lifeline, providing temporary relief by paying for experienced replacement caregivers to take over duties for a period of time. This allows primary caregivers a chance to rest, recharge their batteries or simply take a break.
Having this support can make the long-term caregiving situation much more sustainable and manageable. And, since many long-term care insurance policies offer help with respite care, the right coverage could be beneficial if you plan to utilize family caregivers for your long-term care needs.
Care coordination outside the home
Long-term care insurance doesn’t just apply to nursing homes or in-home care scenarios. Many policies will also cover adult day care services, providing a supervised, protective environment for older adults during daytime hours. This includes meals, activities, health monitoring and more.
For families where caregivers work during the day or simply need a temporary break, adult day care can be an affordable option with long-term care insurance picking up some or all of the cost. This allows loved ones to remain home but get care and enrichment during the times when family can’t be there.
The bottom line
While the primary purpose of long-term care insurance is to cover major nursing home or home care expenses, the supplemental benefits outlined above should not be overlooked. Taking advantage of care planning, home modifications, caregiver training, respite care support and adult day care services can significantly improve the quality of life for aging loved ones and their caregivers.
The key to maximizing your benefits, though, is to read your policy details thoroughly and properly utilize every covered service available to you based on your unique situation. Don’t let valuable coverages go to waste simply because you were unaware they existed. With long-term care already consuming a significant portion of many families’ savings and income, leveraging all the benefits and support services your insurance provides is essential to easing the financial burden of aging care needs.
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New documentary explores the private life of “Superman” icon Christopher Reeve
Long before comic book characters dominated movie screens, actor Christopher Reeve made the world believes in superheroes with the 1978 classic “Superman.”
Reeve died in 2004, nearly a decade after an accident re-shaped his life. “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” is using interviews with family and friends and never-before-seen home videos to explore his real-life heroism.
Reeve started his career on the stage, studying at the prestigious Juilliard School and living with comedian Robin Williams. The pair had a friendship that was “more like a brotherhood,” said Reeve’s son Matthew. Reeve was in awe of Williams’ energy and versatility, Matthew Reeve said, but audiences quickly clued into Reeve’s own star power when he took on the role of the Man of Steel.
To his children, though, he “was just dad,” Matthew Reeve said. The documentary explores how Matthew Reeve and his sister Alexandra Reeve Givens grew up watching their dad take the stage as Superman. “Super/Man” also reveals their heartbreak over their parents’ breakup and the joy they found when Reeve re-married. He tied the knot with Dana Reeve in 1992, and the pair welcomed another child, William Reeve, later that year.
“Dana was sunshine,” Alexandra Reeve Givens recalled. “She just brought joy with her wherever she was and could find it even in the darkest moments.”
Those dark moments came suddenly, when in 1995, a near-fatal horseback riding accident left Reeve paralyzed from the neck down. The documentary allows viewers to see, for the first time, what went on out of the public’s view. Reeve can be heard talking about how he “ruined (his) life and everybody else’s,” but in a touching moment, old friend Robin Williams is seen visiting him in the hospital.
“Robin showed him ‘Hey, you’re still you,'” Alexandra Reeve Givens said. “‘You still have this foundation of friendship and people around you, who adore you. And you’re going to find those fun moments in life again.'”
That support from friends and family re-ignited Reeve’s legacy of activism. He made appearances at the Democratic National Convention and the 68th Academy Awards in 1996, about a year after the accident. Matthew Reeve said watching his father address his industry peers at the Oscars was “one of (his) most proud moments.”
“It was just a production for him to get out of bed every morning, let alone get across the country and go out in public for the first time,” Matthew Reeve said. “It was a big deal. It was a big deal to him, but it was also a big deal to the entire disability community. We stayed up in London till like three in the morning to watch that live. It’s a fond memory.”
Reeve also went on to launch what would become the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, which is dedicated to advancing research into spiral cord injury and help individuals and families impacted by paralysis. It was his dad’s mission to find a cure, Matthew Reeve said, while his stepmother wanted to focus on improving the lives of paralyzed people and their families. The foundation and Reeve’s platform helped bring unprecedented attention and funding to spinal cord injury research.
Reeve even kept acting and realized his lifelong dream of directing with the 1997 HBO movie “In the Gloaming.” Reeve died in 2004 from heart failure at 52.
“There is a huge amount of great actors and actresses out there, where their filmography might be amazing and what they achieve on a cultural level might be amazing, but have they actually achieved anything really as a human that moves the needle for our society?” said filmmaker Ian Bonhote, who made the documentary with Peter Ettedgui. “And Chris has done both things.”
“Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” will open in theaters on Friday, Oct. 11.
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