Long Term Care Insurance

[SumDay]

Extremely restrictive written health care POA...it's what I've done after watching mom live the better part of a decade completely bedridden due to advanced dementia.

I.e. if I have a terminal illness, specifically including dementia, I desire only palliative care...e.g. no code, no feeding tube, etc., not even oral antibiotics.

Easier said than done. You're made to feel like a criminal when you try to implement this for an AZ/dementia patient. My mother was private pay, and they were going to ride that train as long as they could. They made an already stressful situation so much worse than it had to me.

 

[audreyh1]

I recall a study that said of those in LTC, the majority were female, and it was explained as the male frequently stays in the home and the significant other (female) cares for them, perhaps to the end. I have bought a policy for my wife and not for me, we are playing the odds.

Huh! If I were your wife I’d rather have the wherewithal to pay professionals for your care, even if at home, and not be burdened with the extreme stressfulness and physical exhaustion of having to do it all myself. That’s a crippling burden for another elderly person, and maybe shortens their life. How is an elderly person supposed to care for a spouse with Alzheimer’s?

Personally we are fortunate to have sufficient funds to self-insure including transitioning to a CCRC when old enough.

 

[Newventurer]

Huh! If I were your wife I’d rather have the wherewithal to pay professionals for your care, even if at home, and not be burdened with the extreme stressfulness and physical exhaustion of having to do it all myself. That’s a crippling burden for another elderly person, and maybe shortens their life. How is an elderly person supposed to care for a spouse with Alzheimer’s?

Personally we are fortunate to have sufficient funds to self-insure including transitioning to a CCRC when old enough.

Well, since she will likely outlive me and need care longer than I will and given the reality (based on studies) of who it is that ends up using the policy and for us it was one or the other, that's what we went with, sorry you don't approve.

 

[ncbill]

Easier said than done. You're made to feel like a criminal when you try to implement this for an AZ/dementia patient. My mother was private pay, and they were going to ride that train as long as they could. They made an already stressful situation so much worse than it had to me.

True, but if my mom's health care POA had said "no antibiotics" instead of the standard "no IV antibiotics, no feeding tube, etc." or she had told me orally that she only wanted comfort care I would have done that.

Not surprisingly she started having regular infections once bedridden as the result of the progress of her dementia...and by treating those infections (cured by oral antibiotics) all I ended up doing was to prolong the course of her terminal illness by nearly a decade.

So I wanted to provide clear instructions to whomever might be my health care agent.

I would hope we all can pick someone who has the...intestinal fortitude...to put their foot down.