More and more people are in need of long-term care as the years pass. The reasons for this are simple: every generation is bigger than the last, which means there are more senior citizens than ever before. On top of that, people are living longer. The downside to this is that there is a greater need for long-term caregivers. It’s estimated that there are roughly 45 million caregivers in the U.S. alone that are taking care of loved ones.

What Does Long-Term Care Consist Of?

Longterm care refers to personal care needs. Generally, these are not medical needs, but assistance with activities of daily living, such as eating, bathing, getting dressed, and more. Caregivers not only help with activities of daily living, but also with things like housework, grocery shopping, financial management, and more.

Facts About Long-Term Care 

The following are a few facts about long-term care that will help you understand just how important long-term caregivers are:

1. Long-term caregivers spend an average of 21 hours a week taking care of their loved ones.
   
2. Few people in need of long-term care can rely completely on a professional caregiving service. According to the National Family Caregivers Association, it’s estimated that 78% of adults in need of long-term care rely on family members and friends.
   
3. Around 37% of caregivers in the U.S. were forced to switch from full-time to part-time work in order to care for their loved ones.
   
4. Around 29% of caregivers are forced to use their own savings to help provide care for their loved ones. That is because Medicare doesn’t include longterm care as a benefit. Additionally, most insurance policies have limits on any long-term benefits that are provided.
   
5. The average length of long-term care is three years, according to the National Center of Health Statistics.

Long-term caregivers do a significant amount of work, and it’s important to understand and appreciate the growing need we have for them in the U.S. For more information about caregivers, visit us at The Benefits Store today.