Shell Point Retirement Community Archives - Long Term Care Insurance Expert | Honey Leveen

LTC Insurance is Still Useful While Living in a CCRC

October 16, 2019 by Honey Leveen Leave a Comment

As a resident at Shell Point Retirement Community (SPRC), I have had a number of interesting, eye-opening conversations with my neighbors. Many of them believe that living in a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) is an opportunity stop paying for their long term care insurance (LTCi), now that their care is provided by the facility. On the contrary, there are plenty of reasons you’ll want to continue maintaining your LTC insurance in a CCRC.

Before you make this potentially dangerous decision for yourself or your parents, take a moment to review the following list of expenses that can by paid for by LTC insurance. Without the benefit of LTCi, these costs will be paid out-of-pocket by the resident or family.

1. Paying for Home Care

Sally’s mother lived in SPRC for 26 years. Although she needed care, her mother did not own long term care insurance (LTCi), since she believed the CCRC would cover the costs of her needs. Over the years, Sally’s mother was unwilling to accept the fact that her health was deteriorating and that she needed additional care. Ideally, she would have moved to the on-site assisted living facility or elected for home care. She would not admit this.

The majority of CCRC’s pay for assisted living or nursing home care, but they don’t pay for home care.

As you’ll hear in Sally’s video testimony below, her mother was unwilling to pay for home care, even though she could afford it. She wanted to preserve her estate for the benefit of her children. Her situation got so dangerous that Sally had to enlist intervention by a professional to “force” her mother into better care. Sally realizes now that the entire situation could have been avoided if her mother had been covered by a LTCi policy.

2. One More Story About Needing Home Care

When Hugh and his wife moved here to SPRC, they assumed that they no longer needed their LTC insurance in a CCRC, since the cost of assisted living and nursing care was included. So they stopped paying their monthly LTCi premiums and let their policies lapse.

While life in the assisted living center provides a cheery, home-like atmosphere, the nursing home is more sterile and institutional. Hugh just couldn’t bear moving his wife into the nursing home. So he chose to keep her in the assisted living facility and supplement her care with 24 hour a day caregivers.

Hugh had to pay for his wife’s caregivers out of his own pocket. As he shared his story with me, I told him about my work. He recognized how much he regretted giving up their long term care insurance. He knows that if they’d kept their policies active, the cost needed for his wife’s additional care would have been covered.

3. Visiting Your Hairdresser

We often see wheelchair or walker-bound residents in our beauty salons, restaurants, walkways, or swimming pool. These are typically assisted living residents. They’re accompanied by scrub-clad caregivers. The cost of this personalized care is paid out-of-pocket and can really add up over time. With proper planning, LTCi can often help pay for these costs.

4. Meals Aren’t Free

You had to eat before, and you continue to need to eat when you reside in an assisted living facility. Eating is not part of long term care. Your high quality care is paid by the CCRC, but meals are not included. In my community, for example, there is an additional charge of approximately $1,000/month to cover meals. LTCi can help pay for this.

5. Apartment Space

At our CCRC, if you live in a fairly small home, you’ll be assigned a smaller assisted living apartment. If, however, you want to upgrade and move into a larger apartment, LTC insurance can often pay for the additional cost of a larger assisted living apartment at the CCRC. That’s right! Your long term care insurance payments could help cover the extra charges for more spacious living or a better view.

6. The Unexpected Need for an Off-site Facility

Nancy’s husband was stricken with Lewy Body Dementia. If this sounds familiar, this is the same illness that actor Robin Williams suffered from. This form of dementia can damage thinking and alertness. Symptoms can include physical stiffness, hallucinations and even violence.

As a result of his condition, Nancy’s husband became physically violent and needed more care than SPRC could safely provide. Despite their best efforts, SPRC was unable to keep him on-site. Nancy was forced to find an off-site facility that could properly care for her husband. Those unexpected costs (paid without the benefit of LTCi coverage) nearly demolished her savings.

Hold On to Your LTCi

Moving to a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) does not mean it’s time to end your long term care insurance policy. In fact, this may be the time you most want that peace of mind.

Now is the time to start planning for your future needs. Click here to receive a free, no-obligation quote for your own LTCi policy.

Caring for Elder Orphans

October 8, 2019 by Honey Leveen Leave a Comment

Care for ourselves or our parents is often provided by family members. In fact, 80% of home care is given by one or more members of the family. But what happens if there isn’t family available? No spouse, no children nearby (or none at all) — this is the world of Elder Orphans.

They may live full and active lives. But when it comes to making plans for this chapter of their lives, most of this growing population is dangerously unprepared. This is a tricky segment of people to even properly identify, so most reports are subjective. Still, this is still an important aging phenomenon that needs our attention.

Elder Orphans are Aging Alone

Let’s start by understanding how one becomes part of this growing category of seniors. For starters, understand that it can be totally voluntary. For example, a person may be happily single in their later years, thoroughly enjoying the freedom and privacy living alone affords them. Or they chose to build a life without children.

On the other hand, this may not be the life they originally signed up for. The death of a lifelong spouse or a divorce can leave someone surprisingly single when they need someone most. Even if they have children, they may live too far away to provide regular, consistent home care. Sometimes, parents are estranged from their kids.

As you can see, a variety of circumstances can lead to becoming an elder orphan. Regardless of how they got here, there are specific and unique challenges they’ll have to manage. And, like so many long term care issues, ignoring them doesn’t change the needs they create down the road.

Financial Insecurity and Health Concerns

There are a number of groups in Facebook that have sprung up in response to growing needs. The most popular one, Elder Orphans – Aging Alone, has over 9,000 members! The group serves as a resource for information to its members and also provides some emotional support.

The group conducted an informal survey, as reported by the Washington Post. Of the 500 people who responded, 70% revealed that they had not identified a person who could take care of them when they could no longer care for themselves.

Respondents shared some of their most pressing fears for their future:

25% worried about losing their housing
23% reported having at least one incident in the past year where they lacked enough money to cover basic needs
40% admitted to struggling with depression

The Power of Community

To prepare to be an elder orphan, you must establish a strong, supportive community, way in advance of need. You need to have brutally frank, explicit, frequent conversations with friends, family, and all fiduciaries about your wishes. My husband and I have taken this advice. We live in a Continuing Care Retirement Community, even though we’re both active and in great health. In addition to knowing each others wishes. Our fiduciaries know our wishes. We tell friends of our wishes.

As for the financial concerns… long term care expenses can be manageable and affordable, with the proper planning. The time for planning is Now. You don’t have to navigate your future alone. The resources you or your parents will need are well within your grasp.

When you’re ready to take that first step, click here to receive a free, no-obligation quote for your own long term care insurance policy.

Keep Your Long Term Care Insurance After You Move to a CCRC

August 6, 2019 by Honey Leveen Leave a Comment

As a resident at Shell Point Retirement Community (SPRC), I have had a number of interesting, eye-opening conversations with my neighbors. Many of them believe that living in a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) is an opportunity to safely let go of their long term care insurance (LTCi). I do not recommend this!

Before you make this potentially dangerous decision for yourself or your parents, please read through these 3 experiences. Hopefully, they will serve as a cautionary tale and help you from repeating their mistakes.

1. Living in a CCRC Doesn’t Always Include Payment for Home Care

The majority of CCRC’s pay for assisted living or nursing home care, but they don’t pay for home care.

As you’ll hear in Sally’s video testimony below, her mother was unwilling to pay for home care, preferring to preserve her estate for the benefit of her children. Her situation got so dangerous that Sally had to enlist intervention by a professional to “force” her mother into better care. Sally realizes now that the entire situation could have been avoided if her mother had been covered by a LTCi policy.

2. Nursing Care Paid Out-of-Pocket

When Hugh and his wife moved here to SPRC, they assumed that they no longer needed their LTCi since the CCRC would pay for their assisted living and nursing care. So they stopped paying their monthly LTCi premiums and let their policies lapse.

In her last months, Hugh’s wife became extremely disabled, needing care above and beyond what the assisted living facility could legally provide. Hugh was advised to move his wife to the on-site nursing home so she could receive the care she needed. While the assisted living center provides a cheery, home-like atmosphere, the nursing home is more sterile and institutional. Hugh just couldn’t bear moving his wife into the nursing home.

By remaining in assisted living, Hugh had to pay for round-the-clock caregivers out of his own pocket. As he shared his story with me, I told him about my work. He recognized how much he regretted giving up their long term care insurance. He knows that if they’d kept their policies active, the cost needed for his wife’s additional care would have been covered.

3. The Unexpected Need for an Off-site Facility

As a result of his condition, Nancy’s husband became physically violent and needed more care than SPRC could safely provide. Despite their best efforts, SPRC was unable to keep him onsite. Nancy was forced to find an off-site facility that could properly care for her husband. Those unexpected costs (paid without the benefit of LTCi coverage) nearly demolished her savings.

Learning from Experience

You don’t have to have these experiences in order to learn the same lessons. Moving to a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) does not mean it’s time to end your long term care insurance policy. In fact, this may be the time you most want that peace of mind.

Click here to receive a free, no-obligation quote for your own LTCi policy.

Falling to Your Death

July 8, 2019 by Honey Leveen Leave a Comment

Falls are the #1 cause of long term care need. They are typically a result of decreased body strength, balance issues, vision problems, home hazards or foot pain. Usually it’s a combination of two or more of these factors.

As we age, falls become more complicated to bounce back from. While most falls don’t lead to permanent injury, one out of five do result in serious injury, like broken bones which don’t heal as well or brain trauma.

Falling By the Numbers

In 2017, unintentional falls led to over 36,000 deaths in the US.
The National Council on Aging reports, “Every 11 seconds, an older adult is treated in the emergency room for a fall; every 19 minutes, an older adult dies from a fall.”
One in three adults over 50 years of age dies within 12 months of suffering a hip fracture.
For older adults, the risk of a hip fracture leading to death is 5 – 8 times higher. Death can occur as quickly as 3 months after suffering the fracture.

What’s Behind the Falls?

The National Council on Aging explains how preventable most of these accidental deaths are. So if we have the means to avoid the injuries, why are they continuing to happen more frequently?

In my experience, many fall-related deaths are caused because people fail to accept the fact that they need to slow down and/or need help in their simple, daily tasks. They shrug off stumbles or occasional falls as “part of getting old”. As their needs rise, they continue to deny their declining capacity. As if this denial of reality will postpone the worsening of their situation!

I see this in my new community at Shell Point Retirement Community and, I must admit, I expected my neighbors to be more in touch with the reality of their true needs. We live in an environment where the full spectrum of care is available and paid for. And that level of care is above average.

I have a neighbor who resists using her walker even though she admits to having great difficulty with her arthritis. She admits to her difficulties with opening jars and dressing herself because of her arthritis. And there are many similar examples of this “head in the sand” avoidance.

The simplest way to reduce falls is to be brutally honest about your actual need and circumstances, and then taking the appropriate action. People evidently have huge difficulty doing this.

Denial of the facts is something I’ve written about extensively. I understand that resisting the truth of our declining health is part of our survival instinct (or maybe just our ego?). It’s just a shame that so many intelligent people are unable to override this instinct more often.

In doing so, they may suffer the ultimate consequence.

Take the first step to proactively plan for your future care and well being. Click here to receive your free, no-obligation quote for long term care insurance.

The Best Surprise is What CCRC’s Don’t Pitch In Sales Presentations

April 3, 2019 by Honey Leveen 6 Comments

Jim and I have now lived in Shell Point Retirement Community (SPRC) a little over a month. Shell Point is a CCRC (Continuing Care Retirement Community).

I am still working, so please do not hesitate to call me for any help you may need or with questions you may have!

This first month flew by in a dizzying flash, as you can imagine. Our new home still needs work, but happily, we’re on the tail end of settling in and I can resume blogging.

This was an exceptionally well-thought-out move. I have researched and understood the complete long-term care continuum for the past thirty years. Not only has it been my job — it’s been my passion.

The warm welcome and continued staff support we receive has been extraordinary. So much so, in fact, that it deserves a separate blog post, so stay tuned.

It feels absolutely liberating to have downsized! I highly recommend it. Now we own our stuff, our stuff doesn’t own us.

But this post isn’t about the exceptional “resident first” employee culture they have here, or the huge merits of downsizing.

The inspiration for this piece, what they don’t fully describe during sales presentations, is the unexpected impact of increased Social Capital.

The Value of Social Capital

I anticipated that our sense of well-being and overall happiness would increase when we got here, but I never could have imagined by how much. Now I know a lot of the reason why: it’s the increased Social Capital that is at the core of this particular CCRC.

My discovery of Social Capital led to Robert D. Putnam’s acclaimed book “Bowling Alone“. Mr. Putnam’s research documents how the decline of social capital since 1950 has led to more divorce, anxiety, suicide, cynicism, resignation, “compartmentalized” belief systems and lives, distrust, and depression.

In his blog, noted therapist Joe Whitcomb describes the decline of social capital this way: “Today, society and people are more isolated, alienated and disconnected than ever before in all of history… We are more globally connected by technology but even more alone.”

While living in Houston, I knew hundreds, if not thousands of people. It was a lot of fun to walk into Rotary, be recognized and feel loved. But this alone is not all that’s needed for feeling increased security and belonging.

We had a beautiful home for eighteen years, yet we rarely interacted with our neighbors. I always found this troubling. They had their own obligation-laden, busy lives and concerns, and so did we. We usually just smiled and waved as we drove past in our “hermetically sealed” cars. We didn’t know much about each other’s lives even though we lived a few feet apart.

Howdy, Neighbor!

In my new community, people walk by all day long. We often stop and chat, or at least smile and greet every passerby. The post office, salon, fitness center, medical center, and restaurants are all within an easy 3-5 minute walk. Walking gets us out where we see, greet and socialize with others, truly connecting with our neighbors.

It is not necessary to share belief systems or have much in common with neighbors to achieve increased Social Capital, a sense of connection, the feeling that you matter. Even the shortest of social exchanges gives me a happiness “ping” that feels like an endorphin release.

24/7 healthcare, enriching activities, and an engaging lifestyle are available here. But maybe the largest “plus” (and our greatest surprise) is the increased Social Capital. This affirms that our shared human need is to create peaceful, joyful homes and community. This is easily achieved by developing this all-important social capital.

Are you wondering if you can afford this upgrade to your own quality of living? Click here to receive your own complimentary, no-obligation quote for long-term care insurance coverage.

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