Long-term care is a range of services and supports you may need to meet your personal care needs. Most long-term care is not medical care, but rather assistance with the basic personal tasks of everyday life, sometimes called Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), such as: 

• Bathing
• Dressing
• Using the toilet
• Transferring (to or from bed or chair)
• Caring for incontinence
• Eating

Recent research suggests that most Americans turning age 65 will need long-term care services at some point in their lives.

Age

• The older you are, the more likely you will need long-term care

Gender

• Women outlive men by about five years on average, so they are more likely to live at home alone when they are older

Disability

• Having an accident or chronic illness that causes a disability is another reason for needing long-term care
• Between ages 40 and 50, on average, eight percent of people have a disability that could require long-term care services
• 69 percent of people age 90 or more have a disability

Health Status

• Chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure make you more likely to need care
• Your family history such as whether your parents or grandparents had chronic conditions, may increase your likelihood
• Poor diet and exercise habits increase your chances of needing long-term care

Living Arrangements

• If you live alone, you're more likely to need paid care than if you are living with a spouse or partner

The duration and level of long-term care will vary from person to person and often change over time. Here are some statistics (all are "on average") you should consider:

• Someone turning age 65 today has almost a 70% chance of needing some type of long-term care services and supports in their remaining years
• Women need care longer (3.7 years) than men (2.2 years)
• One-third of today's 65 year-olds may never need long-term care support, but 20 percent will need it for longer than 5 years

Long-term care services and support typically come from:

• An unpaid caregiver who may be a family member or friend
• A nurse, home health or home care aide, and/or therapist who comes to the home
• Adult day services in the area
• A variety of long-term care facilities

A caregiver can be your family member, partner, friend or neighbor who helps care for you while you live at home. About 80 percent of care at home is provided by unpaid caregivers and may include an array of emotional, financial, nursing, social, homemaking, and other services. On average, caregivers spend 20 hours a week giving care. More than half (58 percent) have intensive caregiving responsibilities that may include assisting with a personal care activity, such as bathing or feeding.

Information on caregivers show that:

• According to a 2015 study by AARP and the National Alliance on Caregiving, about 43.5 million people in the US had been an unpaid caregiver in the last 12 months.
• About two-thirds are women
• Fourteen percent who care for older adults are themselves age 65 or more
• Most people can live at home for many years with help from unpaid family and friends, and from other paid community support

Most long-term care is provided at home. Other kinds of long-term care services and supports are provided by community service organizations and in long-term care facilities.

Examples of home care services include:

• An unpaid caregiver who may be a family member or friend
• A nurse, home health or home care aide, and/or therapist who comes to the home

Community support services include:

• Adult day care service centers
• Transportation services
• Home care agencies that provide services on a daily basis or as needed

Often these services supplement the care you receive at home or provide time off for your family caregivers.

Outside the home, a variety of facility-based programs offer more options:

• Nursing homes provide the most comprehensive range of services, including nursing care and 24-hour supervision
• Other facility-based choices include assisted living, board and care homes, and continuing care retirement communities. With these providers, the level of choice over who delivers your care varies by the type of facility. You may not get to choose who will deliver services, and you may have limited say in when they arrive.

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For many, a blended approach to long-term care works best. Most consumers want to remain in their homes for as long as possible and delay facility care until they need it. Plan early and look for flexible options that give you more say.

Participant Directed Services are a way to provide services that lets you control what services you receive, who provides them, and how and when those services are delivered. They provide you with information and assistance to choose and plan for the services and supports that work best for you including:

• Who you want to provide your services (can include family and friends)
• Whether you want to use a home care service agency

In facility-based services you generally don't have the option to hire someone independently, but you should have choices about:

• Which staff members provide your care
• The schedule you keep
• The meals you eat

In home and community-based settings, you should have the ability to participate or direct the development of a service plan, provide feedback on services and activities, and request changes as needed.