What is Long Term Care?

Definitions of LONG TERM CARE

Long-term care is a variety of services that includes medical and non-medical care to people who have a chronic illness or disability. Long-term care helps meet health or personal needs. Most long-term care is to assist people with support services such as activities of daily living like dressing, bathing, and using the bathroom. Long-term care can be provided at home, in the community, in assisted living or in nursing homes. It is important to remember that you may need long-term care at any age. You may never need long-term care. This year, about nine million men and women over the age of 65 will need long-term care. By 2020, 12 million older Americans will need long-term care. Most will be cared for at home; family and friends are the sole caregivers for 70 percent of the elderly. A study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says that people who reach age 65 will likely have a 40 percent chance of entering a nursing home. About 10 percent of the people who enter a nursing home will stay there five years or more.
http://www.medicare.gov/LongTermCare/Static/Home.asp

Long Term Care includes a wide range of medical and support services for people with a degenerative condition (e.g. Parkinson's, stroke, etc.), a prolonged illness (cancer) or cognitive disorder (Alzheimer's). Long Term Care is not necessarily medical care but rather "custodial care." Custodial care involves providing an individual assistance with activities of daily living or supervision of someone who is cognitively impaired.
http://www.mrltc.com/long-term-care-basics.html

Long term care is a combination of services directed toward meeting the needs of someone who, due to reduced physical functioning and/or reduced intellectual functioning is unable to carry out every-day tasks without the help of another person. These services can be received at home, in the community or in a residential facility.
http://hiicap.state.ny.us/ltc/kc/consumer01.htm

Long term care refers to assistance with the very basic, everyday activities that most of us can do for ourselves. We call them ADLs or Activities of Daily Living. As a result of illness, injury or advanced age, many people need assistance in order to eat or dress or bathe. The need for long term care may also result because a person has cognitive impairment. Some people need supervision or reminders to accomplish every day activities, such as using the toilet, eating, bathing, dressing, and so forth.
www.kielyhines.com/glossary.html

Long term care (LTC) is the medical, social, personal care, and supportive services needed by people who have lost capacity for self-care due to a chronic illness or condition. It's different from acute health care because assistance is required for an indefinite period of time and because LTC conditions are resistant to recovery of function. Long term care includes health care and supportive services for tasks of every day living. This includes housekeeping, chore services and transportation. A beneficiary of long term care may live in a nursing home or a less restrictive environment, such as assisted living facilities and single family residences. Family caregivers can be supported with professional care, including adult day services and caregiver respite programs offering temporary relief of responsibility for care-giving.
http://www.michigan.gov/ltc/

Long term care is something you may need if you can no longer perform everyday tasks by yourself. For example, there may come a time when you need help getting dressed, eating or bathing. It also includes the kind of care you would need if you had a severe cognitive impairment like Alzheimer's disease. You can receive this care in a variety of settings, including your home, an assisted living facility or a nursing home.
http://www.ltcfeds.com/ltc_basics/overview.html

Because of old age, mental or physical illness, or injury, some people find themselves in need of help with eating, bathing, dressing, toileting or continence, and/or transferring (e.g., getting out of a chair or out of bed). These six actions are called Activities of Daily Living–sometimes referred to as ADLs. In general, if you can't do two or more of these activities, or if you have a cognitive impairment, you are said to need “long-term care.” Long-term care isn't a very helpful name for this type of situation because, for one thing, it might not last for a long time. Some people who need ADL services might need them only for a few months or less. Many people think that long-term care is provided exclusively in a nursing home. It can be, but it can also be provided in an adult day care center, an assisted living facility, or at home. Assistance with ADLs, called “custodial care,” may be provided in the same place as (and therefore is sometimes confused with) “skilled care.” Skilled care means medical, nursing, or rehabilitative services, including help taking medicine, undergoing testing (e.g. blood pressure), or other similar services. This distinction is important because Medicare and most private health insurance pays only for skilled care–not custodial care.
http://www2.iii.org/individuals/longtermcare/ltc_whatis/

Care which is provided for persons with chronic diseases or disabilities. The term includes a wide range of health and social services provided under the supervision of medical professionals. (H)
http://www.insweb.com/learningcenter/glossary/health-l.htm

The term refers to a variety of insurance policies, ranging from those that cover the costs of doctors and hospitals to those that meet a specific need — like long-term care or dental coverage. When most of us talk about health insurance, however, we refer to the kind of plan that covers doctor bills, surgery and hospital costs.
www.studentresources.com/resources/insurance101/DetailsHealthInsurance.aspx

The medical and social care given to one who has severe chronic impairment over a long period of time.
http://www.axispointeinc.com/term.html

A general term that describes a wide range of medical, nursing, custodial, social, and community services provided over an extended period of time. These services are designed to help people with chronic health impairments or forms of dementia live as independently as possible.
http://caregiverpa.psu.edu/Printable%20Caregiver%20Terms.htm
Routine help with everyday activities such as eating, bathing and dressing necessitated because of chronic illness, disability or frailty. Long term care is provided to individuals in their homes, in community settings or nursing homes. A part of the continuum of care.
http://www.tricare.osd.mil/mhsophsc/mhs_supportcenter/Glossary/Lg.htm