It’s a typical scenario: The first spouse who needs long-term care is cared for by the other spouse.
Rarely do couples consider what this will truly mean when they are much older, and faced with this situation.
As a former nursing home administrator, I saw the consequences – emotional, physical and financial fatigue that often results from this scenario. Now, as a long-term care insurance specialist and broker, I try to help people while they can still plan and insure for potential long-term care problems.
I remember an elderly frail lady greeting me at her door for an appointment and saying to me, “Feel the muscles in my arms! I’ve developed them turning my husband over in bed every two hours to prevent bedsores and helping him transfer to a wheelchair so he can go to the bathroom and return back to his bed. I’m frail, I’m tired and I need help. I’m not able to care for my husband anymore. I physically just can’t do the work. I don’t know who to turn to for help.”