Gerontology & Long-Term Care: Helping Seniors Find Health & Wellness

According to the National Institute on Aging, long-term care includes various services and tools that help aging and/or older adults live as independently as possible for as long as possible. Long-term care can involve formal services such as assisted living facilities or professional home care aides who visit an older person’s home. It can also include friends and family members who offer care at no charge. Regardless of who performs it or where it’s provided, long-term care seeks to provide support services that encourage aging people to safely perform activities independently.

While standard health insurance may cover the cost of procedures and medical care in hospitals, it doesn’t provide support for assisted living facilities, at-home care, and other types of extended services. Enter long-term care insurance. This type of insurance helps ensure the expenses associated with aging don’t fully deplete the retirement accounts many senior citizens worked decades to build – or the bank accounts of their children. A study by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that only 10% of aging adults currently have long-term care insurance. Still, those numbers are expected to rise in the coming years.

Long-term care insurance can help cut care costs for aging adults, but it’s important to note that no plan covers the full costs. You should carefully review the terms of any policy you consider, ensuring it offers benefits and coverage options that work with your situation.

It’s also important to remember that you must take out a policy before you need this type of insurance. Otherwise, you’re likely to be turned down. Most adults take out policies sometime between 55 and 65 years of age. Knowing when to take out your policy can be tricky, but you should consider questions of preexisting conditions, risk factors, and other factors affecting the likelihood of needing long-term care. Approximately half of individuals aged 65 and older will at some point develop an injury or illness that will require long-term care, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

The answer to this question depends on the policy you take out. Some, for instance, only provide coverage for state-approved facilities. Others are more comprehensive in scope and offer expanded care in several different settings. Before starting at-home care or moving to a long-term facility, you must ensure your particular policy covers it. Most provide a set daily amount that can cover nursing care, rehabilitative services, and support with daily living tasks such as bathing, toileting, feeding, and grooming.

Many policies do not cover preexisting conditions – or require a set waiting period before benefits kick in. Some of the conditions that may exclude you from coverage include:

• Alzheimer’s/dementia
• Parkinson’s
• Paralysis
• AIDS/HIV
• Kidney failure
• Muscular dystrophy
• Liver cirrhosis

The cost of long-term care can vary substantially based on the type you receive. A study by Genworth found that a private room in a nursing facility cost an average of $105,850 in 2020, while an in-home health aide costs more than $54,000.

The cost of long-term care insurance can also vary significantly, with factors such as age, daily benefit amount, types of covered care, health status, and state-specific expenses determining your monthly premium. The American Association for Long-term Care Insurance put together a 2020 price index to help clarify average costs. A single male aged 55 with benefits increasing at a rate of 3% annually paid an average of $1,700 per year. A woman with the same demographics and policy paid an average of $2,675 during the same timeframe.

Several types of long-term care insurance policies exist. These include:

• Group Policies: Group policies most closely resemble individual plans offered by employers.
• Federal Long-Term Care Insurance Programs: These policies exist for certain current and former federal employees.
• Qualified Long-Term Care Insurance Policies: By selecting a qualified plan, you may be able to have premiums deducted from your federal income.
• Joint Policies: Rather than purchasing a single plan, you can buy long-term care insurance for more than one person. Couples often pursue this option.
  

Medicare can help pay for some long-term care costs, but only on a limited basis. It currently will provide for up to 100 days in a nursing home for individuals who require rehabilitation services and/or skilled nursing. Seniors who anticipate needing more than 100 days of coverage – or services/locations approved by Medicare – may decide to take out their own long-term care insurance policy.

Nurse practitioners who specialize in adult/gerontology populations use their advanced skills to conduct physical exams, develop plans of care, commission diagnostic tests, and diagnose diseases and illnesses. They frequently confer with other medical professionals on the senior patient’s team to ensure they receive needed care. This can also include prescribing medicines and/or treatments, teaching patients and families how to manage their illness at home, and ensuring they regularly receive follow-up care. Students interested in online adult gerontology nurse practitioner programs have plenty of options, but should expect to complete a master’s degree at minimum.

Audiologists work with patients across the lifespan to address hearing loss, ear issues, and balance problems. When working with elderly populations, they may diagnose and treat hearing loss problems, order hearing assistance devices and fit them, evaluate hearing maintenance levels throughout their time caring for the patient, and educate families on effectively communicating with those losing their hearing. They may work in a larger medical practice or specifically at an assisted living facility. Audiologists need a doctoral degree in audiology and licensure to practice.

Certified nursing assistants (CNAs) work under the supervision of RNs, NPs, and other medical staff to help their patients perform daily living activities and ensure they receive basic care. Whether working in an in-home setting, at an assisted care facility, or in a hospice role, CNAs may help elderly individuals handle toileting, eating, dressing, and going about with daily activities. Those who face more severe ailments may receive support in turning themselves in bed, transferring to wheelchairs, taking medicines, and ensuring their vital signs remain stable. Online CNA classes and programs are available for students who want to take this path to working in long-term care.

As the name suggests, home health aides work with elderly patients within their places of residence to help them with everyday activities. Some of their responsibilities may be keeping the house clean, shopping for groceries and cooking meals, planning and taking them to medical appointments, and ensuring their patients get the opportunity to socialize with friends and family members. They can also check vital signs, assist with any prescribed physical exercises, and change basic bandages. While no degree is required, home health aide certification online is generally the first step towards this career.

Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) can work in assisted living facilities, hospice homes, or in-house as personal care professionals. They work under the supervision of other nurses and doctors to provide basic healthcare services (e.g., bandaging, administering medicines, etc.), ensuring patients remain comfortable and keeping track of vital signs. They may also help with daily activities such as dressing, bathing, and eating. These professionals need to undertake a certificate or diploma online LPN program that typically takes one year to complete. They must also pass the NCLEX-PN examination before beginning to practice.

Occupational therapists play crucial roles in the lives of elderly patients. Using their rehabilitative training, they teach aging populations how to exercise and use rehabilitative techniques that make it easier for them to maintain independence around tasks such as bathing, dressing, eating, and walking. Their work with the elderly can help prevent falls, improve memory, and provide support to patients and their families. Whether helping a patient rehabilitate from an injury or increasing range of motion lost through aging, occupational therapists provide valuable assistance. Online master’s programs in occupational therapy are the minimum requirement to earn licensure in this profession.

Physical therapists use their advanced educations to help people regain their movement, manage pain, and increase their ability to get around after facing a disease or injury. They conduct diagnosing to identify the problems, design individual care plans to address specific issues, and teach their clients how to perform various stretches and exercises to regain mobility. Physical therapists prove especially beneficial to elderly patients, particularly those diagnosed with arthritis or other limiting diseases. Because this advanced career requires a doctorate, those who want to pursue this path will need to complete an in-person or online Doctor of Physical Therapy program.

Registered nurses provide critical geropalliative care in all types of medical and at-home settings. Possessing more education and training than CNAs and LPNs, RNs can take on more responsibilities than their counterparts. Some of their daily tasks include creating patient care plans, recording medical histories, working with other healthcare providers, performing or calling for diagnostic tests, and teaching both patients and their family members how to manage their illnesses after leaving a facility. While some employers still accept an associate degree, it’s becoming increasingly common for RNs to hold a bachelor’s from an accredited online RN program.

Operating more on the mental health side of things, rehabilitation counselors help clients come to terms with developmental, emotional, mental, and/or physical disabilities. In the case of elderly patients, they can provide counseling to help them understand the effects of aging and process how things like mobility and memory may shift over time. Other responsibilities include evaluating the specific services a patient needs, arranging additional services with other healthcare providers, and finding necessary resources such as hearing devices or wheelchairs. Rehabilitation counselors must possess a master’s degree at minimum.

Geriatric social workers support their clients by connecting them to services and programs to improve their daily living and health. Whether helping them get signed up for Medicare or Medicaid, finding a local Meals on Wheels that delivers to their home, or finding in-home health aide services covered by their insurance, social workers ensure elderly clients can live safely and securely based on their budgetary needs. An online bachelor’s degree in social work can prepare you for most entry-level careers, while a master’s degree may be needed for more advanced positions.

Whether dealing with the debilitating effects of dementia or a stroke, the need for professionals who can provide speech therapy is great for seniors. Speech-language pathologists can help their elderly patients rebuild speech skills, learn to communicate in new ways, and use communication devices as necessary. They also help treat swallowing difficulties, develop individual plans of treatment, and provide counseling to friends and family on how to best support loved ones dealing with speech and/or language difficulties. Speech-language pathologists must complete an in-person or online master’s program in speech language pathology to seek licensure to practice.