As our country ages, more and more families find themselves at the center of a loved ones care. Facing tough decisions on how to care for a parent is not easy. Where does the money come from.....can we afford it.....what will be left for us? All these questions hit home all too frequently.
Every day, 10,000 baby boomers turn 65. The oldest of the old, those age 80 and up are the fastest growing demographic of our senior citizens. In 2010, there were 5.7 million Americans ages 80 and up. By 2050, that number is estimated to swell to more than 19 million.
The fallout from an ever increasing elderly population is that more and more people eventually will suffer from Alzheimer's or other form of Dementia.
The statistics are staggering and unfortunately, growing rapidly. Today more than 5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's or other form of Dementia. 1 in 3 elderly Americans will die with the disease or other form of Dementia. In 2013, 15 million Americans provided an estimated 17.7 billion hours of unreimbursed care valued at more than 220 billion dollars.
So what do you do if your family is thrust into the role of Caregiver or the one responsible financially for getting the care your loved one needs taken care of.
Be aware there are options. If your loved one is a Veteran, the Aid and Attendance benefit can help defray costs of Long Term Care. Be aware it can take up to 2 years to get this benefit which can be up to $1758.00 a month for a single individual who served in the active military.
You can learn more about this and other Veterans Benefits at the web sites below.