Long-term care insurance is offered through Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company

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 care-giving responsibilities are under retirement age. 42% of adult Americans receiving long-term care are between the ages of 18 and 64.*

*"Long-Term Care: Baby Boom Generation Increases Challenge of Financing Needed Services," General Accounting Office, March 2001, GAO-01-563T:1-3. This statistic includes services or short durations that would not qualify for benefits from the LTC policy and services for which the policy does not provide.

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

Long-term care insurance is one way you can 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.