Ignore Film’s Message at Your Peril

Amour is an award winning film that has received rave critical reviews.

Unfortunately, many of you who watch the trailer will be so uncomfortable with the subject matter that you will probably not want to see the film. Even more unfortunate (and frustrating to me), after seeing the film most viewers will still be unwilling to connect the film’s message to their own need for immediate LTC planning.

George, the husband and primary caregiver to Anne in the film, was in denial about the extent of Anne’s need for care for way too long. He refused to acknowledge how bad off she was, and that there was an urgent need for additional care. It’s very likely that one reason he chose to deny the extent of Anne’s need was financial.

Finally, additional caregivers are hired. But they appear to be there for only a few hours a day. Anne’s profound need for care was meticulously portrayed, and it soon became clear that she actually needed full-time care. Any professional in the care giving industry would have quickly recognized this. Again, why was more care not brought in? I believe it was due to George’s psychological denial of the severity of Anne’s condition, as well as the exorbitant cost.

Inevitably, George’s mental and physical health also declines from the stress of being Anne’s primary caregiver and having too little respite.

Of course, if Anne and George owned long-term care insurance, their LTCi policies would’ve been pumping loads of money to defray Anne’s care giving expenses. And perhaps the ultimate, inevitable tragedy would have been averted.

Back to the beginning. How do I know that people still cannot connect the dots between the tragic outcome of Amour and the need for immediate long-term care planning? I had conversations with three ladies in the ladies room afterwards, and when I mentioned that George and Anne would have benefited greatly from owning long-term care insurance, these ladies could not connect the dots. They admitted they did not own long-term care insurance, but dismissed my overtures to discuss why long-term care insurance ownership would have altered the film’s tragic outcome. People dwell in denial.

If you read my prior blog, featuring Steve Moses, you will gain a better understanding of my grave concern about how unprepared Americans are for their possible need of long-term care.