Interesting Survey Results on Long-term Care Services and Support
The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) conducted a survey on 1,573 adults in the U.S. in May 2022 to gather sentiments regarding long-term care services and support for older adults and people with disabilities who require assistance with activities of daily living.
Here are some of the interesting findings from this survey:
Fewer than half of adults (43%) say they have ever had a serious conversation with a loved one about who will take care of them if they need help with daily activities in the future.
Even fewer (39%) have talked about how the cost of such care would be paid for.
Four in ten adults (43%) say they are not confident that they will have the financial resources to pay for the care they might need as they age.
Only 28% of adults ages 50-64 say they have set aside money that could be used to pay for future living assistance expenses.
Only 48% of adults 65 and older say they have set aside money that could be used to pay for future living assistance expenses. So more than half in this age group has not put any money aside for this.
Nursing home costs are estimated to be $100,000 for one year on average in the U.S. Compared to the estimated $60,000 for one year assistance for in-home care.
Medicare coverage of long-term care is limited. Medicaid is the main source of coverage for these services. Four in ten adults incorrectly believe that Medicare is the primary source of nursing care or home care coverage.
Almost half (45%) of adults who moved into a long-term care facility, or had their loved one move into one, say they encountered unexpected costs for things they thought were included but were added on as extra charges by the facility.
About half of adults (51%) found it difficult to find nurses or aides to help with everyday activities. Compared to 61% who found it difficult to find a facility to meet their or their loved ones needs.
More people are satisfied with the quality of care they received from in-home care versus long-term facility care. Only 68% of adults with personal experience or sufficient knowledge of a loved one’s time in a long-term care facility is “somewhat” or “very” satisfied with the quality of care they received, compared with 78% of those who used in-home care that are satisfied with the quality of care they received from a nurse or aide.
More people are satisfied with the cost of care of in-home care versus long-term care facilities. 63% of adults having experience with in-home care versus 48% of adults having experience with long-term care facilities.
