Unimaginable Scenarios Can And Do Become True 

Dealing with friends lately, I have noticed that many of us put more emphasis on where to go out to eat than on our own health care. Many people plan dinner outings or weekend trips much more carefully than how they will deal with the inevitable need for long term health care.

Unfortunately, leaving those plans for later in life puts us in undesirable situations that costs us too much. I know this first hand because I’ve had to deal with the needs of a family member.

After years of putting off conversations about long term care insurance, my aunt found herself unprepared for a long and debilitating battle with hip replacement. My attempts to bring up the subject were always met with excuses about why the insurance was not necessary and how, if she ever required that much attention, her children would be able to provide care. Sadly enough, after her surgery, my aunt required much more assistance with everyday needs than she ever thought she would. Her recovery took longer than what her doctors had predicted; soon her medical coverage had paid the maximum benefit for the illness and coverage stopped.

During the most critical part of her rehabilitation, her son was called to active duty with the military and her daughter started to deal with a difficult pregnancy. My aunt, a 71-year-old widow, was left on her own to deal with house chores and personal care. But because the surgery had limited her mobility, it was impossible for her to do these things and her limited Social Security income wasn’t enough to hire a qualified person to assist her. She had to call on extended family to help her.

After this episode, my aunt finally understood that having choices about where health care will be given or how long it will last is crucial at her age. Things in life can change and unimaginable scenarios can and do become true. Her caregivers passed away, moved or were unavailable, and not having a way to care for herself limited her freedom and put great stress on her family members.

Many people realize that health care choices are important, but they still worry much more about where to go to dinner on a Friday night. I’ve learned from those people’s mistakes.