The need for long-term care may begin gradually as
you find that you need more and more help with activities of daily living, such
as bathing and dressing. Or you may suddenly need long-term care after a major
illness, such as a stroke or a heart attack.
If you do need care, you may need nursing home or
home health care for only a short time. Or, you may need these services for many
months, years, or the rest of your life.
It is hard to know if and when you will need
long-term care, but there are some studies that may help.
For example:
- One national study projecting nursing home use noted: "Of
the approximately 2.2 million persons who turned 65 in 1990, more than
900,000(43%) are expected to enter a nursing home at least once before they
die." The same study reported that among people who live to age 65, only 1 in 3
will spend three months or more in a nursing home. About 1 in 4 will spend one
year or more in a nursing home. In other words, 2 out of 3 people who turned 65
in 1990 will either never go to a nursing home or will spend less than three
months in one.
- Women are more likely to need nursing home care than men.
The study discussed above projected that 13% of women will spend five or more
years in a nursing home. Only 4% of men will be in a nursing home that long.
- As you grow older, your risk of needing nursing home care
also goes up.