More than two-thirds of people over age 65 will need long-term care, but how many of us can define long-term care, let alone say we have a plan?
Long-term care is much more than booking a room in a nursing home. It’s the day-to-day help people need when they have illnesses, disabilities, or other conditions. It’s the technology that helps people stay independent, the home renovations that make it easier to get around. It’s the help with meals and housekeeping and the skilled medical care.
AAUW has joined an AARP campaign to raise awareness among baby boomer women about long-term care planning.
As part of the campaign — Decide. Create. Share. — AARP offers four reasons why women should start planning for long-term care right now, including that women outlive men and will most likely pay for long-term care out of pocket.
With the potential to cost several thousand dollars annually, there’s no time to waste on providing for long-term care. Check out AARP’s planning guide for a convenient collection of the resources you need.
And join us at one of AAUW’s free workshops about long-term care:
- Little Rock, Arkansas: Saturday, November 6 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Arkansas Workforce Center, 5401 S. University Ave. E-mail k-ros@sbcglobal.net to register.
- Greensboro, North Carolina: Tuesday, November 9 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Congregational United Church of Christ meeting hall, 400 W. Radiance Drive. E-mail dlrmassey@yahoo.com to register.
- Washington, D.C.: Wednesday, November 17 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the AAUW national office, 1111 Sixteenth St. NW. E-mail wittj@ncpssm.org to register.
- Columbia, Maryland: Saturday, November 20 from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Bain Center, 5470 Ruth Keeton Way. E-mail aauwhocomembers@gmail.com to register.
Help us help you by checking out Decide. Create. Share. and giving your input. AAUW has agreed to provide AARP with 250 volunteers by November 15 to review the effectiveness of the campaign. AARP will use the feedback — which involves two questionnaires and two webinars — to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the guide.
AARP statistics show six in 10 women don’t know how they’ll pay for long-term care. We’re not OK with that. Are you?
This blog post was written by AAUW Communications Fellow Elizabeth Owens.
AAUW Dialog 
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