Introducing Long-Term Care (LTC)

Introducing Long-Term Care (LTC)

Long-term care (LTC) refers to services and support that are needed when the ability to care for oneself has been reduced by chronic illness, disability, or aging.  People receive long-term care in a variety of settings including the following:

• in their own home or that of family or friends;
• in the community through home health agencies and adults day care programs;
• in senior living communities; or
• in institutional settings, such as nursing homes.

Long-term care users typically need a combination of these types of care over the course of their lifetimes.

It is estimated that there are about 9.5 million Americans with long-term care needs, but that number will grow with the aging of the population. The elderly population is expected to double by the year 2030. The group most likely to have long-term care needs are those age 85+ and that group is expected to quadruple by the year 2050. Of Americans with long-term care needs, 17% reside in nursing homes while the other 83% live in the community, often cared for by family members.

(based on information from KaiserEDU.org)