First Things To Do When You Need Long-Term Medical Care

Long-term care is an essential service for people who are unable to perform daily activities independently due to a health condition or disability. In some cases, the need for long-term care can arise suddenly, such as following a heart attack or stroke, but it can also develop gradually as your body grows weak with age or as an illness or disability worsens.

As such, long-term care covers quite a wide range of services and personal care, which includes getting help with everyday activities like bathing, dressing, grooming, using the toilet, eating, and moving around. It can be provided in different settings by different caregivers, depending on the individual’s needs, to enable the patient to cope and live safely when they can no longer do everyday activities on their own. 

Who Needs Long-Term Medical Care

Patients with severe and ongoing health conditions or disabilities are at higher risk of needing long-term care, such as individuals with chronic illnesses like diabetes or heart disease and those with physical disabilities or cognitive impairments. Older people are also highly likely to need these services, with about 67% of those aged 60 years and above accounting for a large share of long-term care users worldwide. 

And while it can be challenging to predict how much or what type of long-term care a patient might need because it varies depending on their health condition, disability, and individual circumstances, several factors increase the risk of needing long-term care aside from age and illness or disability. This includes gender, marital status, lifestyle habits, and the patient’s health and family history.

When it comes to gender, women are generally at higher risk than men mainly because they often live longer. Single people are also more likely than married people to need long-term care from a paid provider, while poor diet and lack of exercise can increase a person’s risk as well.

What To Do When You Need Long-Term Medical Care

Long-term medical care can be a challenging and stressful experience for both the patient and their loved ones, but fortunately, there are certain things you can do to help you cope with the situation and ease the burden on your family. Here are some of the first things you should do when you or a loved one needs long-term medical care:

Assess Your Needs

Before deciding on a long-term care plan, you should clearly know the type of care you need and expect. To do this, it would be best to schedule a consultation with a healthcare professional to evaluate your medical condition and determine the level of care you require.

Ask your doctor what the next steps are if you do not feel better after a few days or weeks, so you can decide what to do if something happens. Aside from this, you can also ask your friends and relatives for recommendations, especially if they have been through a similar situation before. 

Research Your Options

When you need long-term care, it’s important to understand what options are available and then consider all the pros and cons so that you can make an informed decision. There are different types of long-term healthcare available, and you should get the one that is most suitable for your specific situation. 

You also need to check the quality of service that the healthcare provider delivers because not all medical centers have the proper experience, training, and expertise needed to handle these types of cases. “The medical needs of long-term care patients can be very complex,” says Dr. Bhupinder Walia, Chief Executive Officer of Daiya Healthcare. “Your healthcare provider should understand how important it is to properly care for an especially vulnerable patient population and have extensive training in long-term care medicine.”

Think It Through And Make A Plan

Long-term medical care is an ongoing need, so you must make plans for the future, such as choosing a care program, identifying potential caregivers, and ensuring that legal documents, such as powers of attorney and living wills, are in place. Aside from enabling you to make decisions now, a good plan will also help your family when the time comes for them to make decisions for you.

Your plan should include preparations for the expenses since long-term medical care can be expensive, depending on the duration and the services needed. Thus, you must consider your financial situation and explore payment options like private insurance, Medicaid, or other government programs. Finally, you need to communicate with your family, consider their needs, and ensure they are involved in decision-making so that everyone knows what is happening. If you have no family, try to look for a friend or trusted adviser who can help guide you through this process.