Retirees choose continuing care at home memberships for a variety of reasons, but this deciding factor is front and center for every one of them: it protects their money from the costs of assisted living.
Because continuing care at home (CCaH) plans pay for the costs of care for its members without the caps and limitations of Medicare or long-term care insurance, the plan ensures members won’t outlive their resources.
From personal care for bathing and meals to around-the-clock facility-based care, they’re protected.
They know where they will go for care and who will pay the bills.
These five questions should define your retirement planning strategy
But there’s a second powerful motivator to join… CCaH plans are very successful at helping members avoid assisted living.
Because the focus is on care management, rather than claims management like a traditional long-term care insurance product, every aspect of the membership revolves around helping members remain independent and living in their home long after they retire.
And it works.
According to statistics from the longest-running CCaH plan in the country, an impressive 98 percent of its members never move to an assisted living or nursing home community.
70% of seniors will need long-term care
According to statistics, a staggering 70 percent of those over age 65 will need long-term care at some point. Forty percent enter a nursing home or assisted living facility with a 20 percent chance of remaining there for 5+ years. Sixty-eight percent will have some level of cognitive impairment or a significant reduction in activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing or preparing meals.
These statistics are drastically different for those with continuing care at home plans and they’re impressive. Ninety-eight percent of CCaH members age in place successfully without the need for assisted living
If they do need long-term care, only 2 percent of CCaH members will move into faculty-based care. Most are able to get the care they require in their own home.
How a CCaH keeps members out of assisted living
How does a CCaH like Sun Health at Home reduce the odds to such an impressive degree? It’s a lifestyle choice, not just a financial decision.
Every member has a dedicated wellness coordinator as their personal advocate to manage any care situations that might arise, while also taking steps to ensure the home environment is appropriate for their physical capabilities.
Another major benefit─and one that’s key in keeping members out of assisted living─is the wellness coordinator’s consistent guidance toward a healthier lifestyle. Following the Masterpiece Living® model, the coordinator brings resources and planning to address the member’s social, physical, intellectual and spiritual health using evidence-based techniques specifically designed to help the member avoid decline as they age.
The impact of wellness programs on retiree happiness, vitality and independence
Is the member having a difficult time getting dressed and driving to the store? Do they need safety equipment in their bathroom, an easier way to manage stairs, or modifications in the kitchen? Is isolation or depression something that needs attention? By noticing changes as they occur through regular phone calls and visitation, the coordinator puts the right resources in place at the right time.
When combined, these lifestyle modifications, home modifications and care services provide a 360 degree circle of care for the member, resulting in their ability to remain independent.
The wellness coordinator is also there to react quickly to accidents or sudden needs for medical services. If a member needs an advocate to support a diabetes medical diagnosis, for example, or assistance coordinating services for physical therapy and skilled care after a fall or hip replacement, the wellness coordinator steps in.
Compared to an older adult left to flounder amidst physician advice, reactive care if something happens and spending time managing insurance benefits for long-term care on their own while paying out of pocket for anything their private health insurance doesn’t cover, it’s no wonder so few CCaH members end up moving to an assisted living community. The prevention-based, 360 degree approach makes a life-changing difference.
Continuing care at home plans combine a proactive independent living lifestyle in your own home with resources to obtain and pay for long-term care, should it become eventually necessary. Even if you move or travel, the plan follows you. To learn more, attend an upcoming discovery seminar near you.
Sun Health at Home is the first CCaH program in the southwestern United States and the only one available in Arizona.
