Long-Term Care Insurance And The Activities Of Daily Living For Seniors

Jul 18, 2013

By Rick Law, Elder Law Attorney in Suburban Chicagoland, Illinois.

I can’t say this enough… long-term care insurance should be considered not only for its ability to pay for care services, but more so to protect and preserve assets.

Long-term care insurance protects assets, avoids dependency on others and retains the insured person’s freedom of choice. It is something that everyone needs to consider in the overall asset protection plan.

Even though an individual may have a long-term care insurance policy, there are certain requirements that must be met in order to trigger the benefits from a plan.  Most long-term care insurance policies will require that the policy holder either:

• Needs continual assistance with a certain number of activities of daily living (ADL), or

• Needs continual supervision due to a cognitive impairment

Activities of daily living (ADLs) include dressing, toileting, continence, transferring, bathing and feeding. “Cognitive impairment” is defined as the deterioration or loss of intellectual capacity that is evidenced by memory loss, disorientation and/or the ability to reason. It is often caused by Alzheimer’s disease or similar forms of senility or irreversible dementia,  When someone is unsafe in a normal environment, he/she is in need of full time assistance in a protected environment.

Long-term care insurance can mean the difference between choosing the type of care that your loved one desires and deserves, or being forced to spend down assets in order to qualify for Medicaid.

We work to find the best possible outcome for Chicago metro area seniors.  We also help our Illinois families find the resources they need outside of the law firm.

If you’re ready to start getting your estate in order and secure your assets for the “worst-case” scenario, please give our office a call at 800-310-3100 or 620-585-5200. Your first consultation is absolutely free.  We’ll let you know what steps you need to take, right now, to protect yourself and your family.  Call now.

Sincerely,

Rick L. Law, Attorney, Estate Planner for Retirees.

 Rick was named the #1 Illinois elder law estate planning attorney by Leading Lawyer Magazine. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, AARP Magazine, TheStreet.com, and numerous newspapers and articles. Rick is the lead attorney for Law Elder Law, LLP, focusing in Estate Planning, Guardianship, and Nursing Home Solutions. His goal is to give retirees an informed edge when it comes to dealing with an uncertain future.  Get flexible retirement strategies that work during good times and bad, plus information on how you can save your home and assets from being used to pay for long term care.   Call 800-310-3100 for your free consultation now!