The dramatic increases in life expectancy over the 20th century, the growing numbers in the older population, and rising costs of long-term care have made age-associated disability and dependency issues a concern.

As you age, you or someone you know may begin to need help with everyday activities like dressing, eating, toileting, or bathing. Ongoing or "long-term" care may mean a little help from family and friends or regular visits by a home health aide. For others, long-term care may involve moving to a place where professional care is available 24 hours a day.

A common misconception is that long-term care needs only affect the elderly. However, substantial numbers of individuals receiving long-term care services or providing caregiving responsibilities are under retirement age. 42% of adult Americans receiving long-term care are between the ages of 18 and 64.*

It is hard to know if and when you will need long-term care.

Long-term care insurance is one way you can plan to pay for long-term care services you may need in the future. It enables you to transfer some of the financial risk of long-term care costs to an insurance company. In exchange for paying premiums, long-term care insurance helps enable you to preserve your accumulated wealth from the high expense of long-term care, while helping to secure your dignity, choice and independence.

Long-term care insurance provides a variety of benefits, and people rely on long-term care coverage for different reasons. This can mean enhanced security for you and your family.

Long-term care insurance is available through the Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company, a subsidiary of The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company.