Long Term Care Insurance Planning For When You Need Private In-Home Care in Ontario

The idea of private in-home care during a major long term illness is far more attractive than an extended stay in an Ontario long term care facility. According to the Canadian Home Care Association, 35% to 50% of Canadians over the age of 65 will require some form of long term or palliative care.

Here are some statistics:

• About 50 thousand strokes occur in Canada each year. This is the leading cause of transfer from hospital to long term care.
• 1 in 11 Canadians over 65 is affected by some sort of dementia disease such as Alzheimer’s.
• 7% of Canadians age 65 and over reside in health care institutions.

Private home care services allow individuals to remain at home surrounded by family and friends. It allows them to continue to contribute to their community. This also makes it easier for families to continue caring for their loved one.

Receiving that care in the comfort of your own home can be a way to recover from a long illness. This can also include palliative care, but no matter what the reason might be, private home care in Ontario is costly. This is why, if you would prefer to have private home care should the need arise, you should begin long term care insurance planning today so that you can meet those costs.

The level of private home care coverage in Ontario that is offered by insurers differs. Some policies might offer less financial aid for private home care than for institutional care. When planning long term care in Canada, you should consider how much private home care would cost where you live. Since costs vary throughout Canada, it’s important to be realistic. Unfortunately, many communities have a shortage of qualified home care workers. If access to private home care is important to you, then you need to keep that in mind for your decision with long term care insurance planning. You want to ensure that if you need it, home care will be affordable to you.

To be able to afford the best long term care and minimize your costs, the sooner you start planning the better. Long term care insurance planning in Ontario begins with your Ontario Insurance Agent. Long term care in Canada continues to face increased pressure and quality of care has suffered as a result of low staffing and poor living conditions. This is not how you want to live once you retire and the best way to be in a position to afford in-home care is to start long term care insurance planning now. This will give you peace of mind, knowing that your long term care is covered.

For more information about long term care insurance planning for when you need private in-home care in Ontario contact Gary Mandel at IFCG by calling (416) 849-1653 or by visiting www.wecoveryou.ca