Length Of Nursing Home Stay Varies According To Long Term Care Insurance Expert

July 23, 2012 - PRLog -- Some 1.5 million individuals reside in the nation’s 16,000 nursing homes but the average length of stay data confuses many individuals according to one of the nation’s leading long term care insurance experts.

According to the latest government data, the average nursing home stay is 835 days, or roughly just over two years and three months explains Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance.  “But averages are meaningless when you are planning for long term care because chances are you are not going to be average when you need care.”

The organization director addressed how long individuals reside in a skilled nursing home facility.  “The numbers will vary based on your age at admission and whether you are a man or woman,” Slome notes.  “For example nearly a third (29.4%) of those who are between ages 75 and 84 will be there for between one year and less than three years, while 13.1 percent will be there from three years to five years.”

Very long nursing home stays, generally considered to last five years or more account for nearly one in 10 (8.9%) residents between ages 75 and 84.  “For those who are 85 years or older, the percentage is higher, closer to 13.2 percent,” Slome explains.  “If you live a long life, the chances of needing long term care which can take place at home or in a skilled facility can be extremely high and far more costly than most people ever imagine.”

Older women are much more likely to reside in nursing homes for longer periods of time.  According to the data, some 14.9 percent of women over the age of 85 are in nursing homes for five years or longer while only 10.6 percent of long-stay residents are men.

Members of the national association are offering free education and no-obligation long term care insurance costs http://www.aaltci.org/long-term-care-insurance-costs for policies from leading insurance companies.  “While many people worry about the risk of needing care in a nursing home, we like to call this nursing home avoidance insurance because most people use their coverage to receive care in their own home,” Slome explains.

For additional information or to hear from a member of the Association call the organization’s national headquarters in Los Angeles at (818) 597-3227 or visit their website where consumers can also access a variety of free online consumer information guides.