Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to identify factors associated with long-term care planning in an effort to assist individuals in preparing for their long term care needs. Long-term care can take many forms (e.g., community-based services, assisted living, institutionalization, etc.), but regardless of how long-term care is implemented, as the U.S. senior population continues to age, the future care needs of older adults are certain to escalate.

The present study was designed to answer two research questions: (1) what distinguishes those who plan for long-term care versus those who do not; and (2) what distinguishes those who intend to pay for it themselves versus those who will rely on public support?

Survey data were collected from a stratified random sample of adults age 60 and over (n=651) in a six-county, greater Omaha, Nebraska, and Council Bluffs, Iowa metropolitan areas. The telephone survey was conducted by The MSR Group, a survey research firm in Omaha, Nebraska, and contained a question regarding long-term care planning, along with demographic and background items that could potentially explain variation among older adults in planning behavior. Based on a review of the extant literature, eleven potential explanatory variables were included in the model: age, marital status, gender, education, religious affiliation, religious attendance, income, subjective rating of overall health, current functional ability (ADLs/IADLs), awareness of availability of long-term care insurance and caregiver availability.

Data were analyzed using nested logistic regression models. Findings indicated that those most likely to have a plan for long-term care were female, unmarried, with higher income, and aware of the availability of long-term care insurance. Only income was associated with taking responsibility for one’s own long-term care.