SENIOR LISTENING

Planning for Cost of Long-Term Care

Around 70 percent of people over the age of 65 will require long-term care services at some point in their life. According to the Administration on Aging (AOA), the average woman needs long-term care services for 3.7 years, and the average man needs those services for 2.2 years. The time for someone with an advanced stage of Alzheimer’s disease may be much longer. One-third of people aged 65 and older may never need long-term care support, but one-fifth will need it for longer than 5 years.

Long-term care is the largest out-of-pocket health care expense for those aged 65 and older. Sobering facts about the cost of the types of longterm care from the Genworth Cost of Care Survey (2021). The average cost of Longterm Care nursing homes in Montana for 2024 is estimated to be $287.00/day and Assisted Living varies depending on services ranging from $1120.00 to $3550.00/ month.

Is it any wonder a major concern for Montana families is “How are we going to cover the potential cost of long-term care without losing what we have worked hard to accumulate for ourselves and our families?"

Sources to pay long-term care Montanans use a variety of sources to pay for longterm care including personal income...