|
E-mail this page to a friend!
Money, Insurance & Investments for Seniors
Long-Term Care Planning Assisted by New Website by
Health & Human Services
Government's Clearinghouse for Long-Term
Care Information online
 December 15, 2006 A new Website aimed at making
it easier for consumers to get the information they need to plan for
long-term care was announced today by Josefina G. Carbonell, Assistant
Secretary for Aging in Health and Human Services. The National
Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information site provides comprehensive
information about long-term care planning, services and financing
options, along with tools to help people begin the planning process.
The clearinghouse Web site is designed to increase
public awareness about the risks and costs of long-term care and the
potential need for services, and to provide objective information to
help people plan for the future, according to Carbonell.
The clearinghouse site was designed by HHS'
Administration on Aging (AoA), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
(CMS) and the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE).
"The National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care
Information Website is an important step toward giving consumers the
tools they need to take personal responsibility for planning for their
future long-term care needs," HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said.
The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 mandates that the
Clearinghouse contain the following: objective information to help
consumers decide whether to purchase long-term care insurance or to
pursue other private market alternatives that pay for long-term care;
information about states with long-term care partnerships under
Medicaid; and information about the availability and limitations of
coverage for long-term care under Medicaid.
The Web site features a number of resources to help
individuals start the planning process, including interactive tools such
as a savings calculator, contact information for a range of programs and
services, and real-life examples of how individuals have planned
successfully.
The National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care
Information Web site helps support the principles of the "Choices for
Independence Initiative," included in the recently reauthorized Older
Americans Act (OAA), signed into law by President Bush in October.
"The new OAA helps empower individuals and supports
better planning, improved home and community-based long-term care
options, and more flexible and consumer-friendly systems that allow
Americans to remain vibrant and independent," Assistant Secretary
Carbonell said.
The new Web site also supports the "Own Your
Future" education campaign, a joint federal-state initiative designed to
increase consumer awareness about planning for long-term care. HHS
recently announced new federal-state partnerships with several states
designed to help Americans take an active role in planning ahead for
their future long-term care needs.
"The National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care
Information Web site is an essential component of the 'Own Your Future'
campaign," CMS Acting Administrator Leslie V. Norwalk said. "Users can
easily find information about services, resources and finances to help
them plan for future long-term care needs."
For more information about the "Own Your Future"
campaign and the National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information,
visit
www.longtermcare.gov
|
More About Long-Term Care |
|
What is Long-Term Care?
Long-term care is a variety of services and
supports to meet health or personal care needs over an extended period
of time. Most long-term care is non-skilled personal care assistance,
such as help performing everyday Activities of Daily Living (ADLs),
which are:
Bathing,
Dressing,
Using the toilet,
Transferring (to or from bed or chair),
Caring for incontinence, and
Eating.
The goal of long-term care services is to help
you maximize your independence and functioning at a time when you are
unable to be fully independent.
Who Needs Long-Term Care?
Long-term care is needed when you have a chronic
illness or disability that causes you to need assistance with Activities
of Daily. Your illness or disability could include a problem with
memory loss, confusion, or disorientation. (This is called Cognitive
Impairment and can result from conditions such as Alzheimers disease.)
This year, about 9 million Americans over the age
of 65 will need long-term care services. By 2020, that number will
increase to 12 million. While most people who need long-term care are
age 65 or older, a person can need long-term care services at any age.
Forty (40) percent of people currently receiving long-term care are
adults 18 to 64 years old.
>>
Read more on government site, click here.
|
Click to More Senior News on the
Front Page
Copyright: SeniorJournal.com |
