The Hidden Cost of Supporting Adult Children: Implications for Seniors Aging in Place

A recent report from Savings.com reveals a startling trend: 50% of American parents with adult children are providing regular financial support, averaging $1,474 per month. This figure, which has risen to a three-year high, underscores the economic pressures many young adults face in today’s cost-of-living crisis. For Generation Z, the average monthly support is $1,813, while millennials receive about $863. While parents may feel compelled to help their children navigate these challenges, this generosity could have significant consequences for their own financial security—particularly for seniors planning to age in place.

The Financial Strain on Parents

The Savings.com report highlights that parents are often prioritizing their adult children’s financial needs over their own retirement savings. On average, parents who provide this support contribute just $673 per month to their retirement funds—less than half of what they give their children. This imbalance is particularly concerning given the broader retirement crisis in the U.S. According to AARP, nearly 20% of adults over 50 have no retirement savings, and 61% worry about outliving their funds. A 2024 survey by the National Council on Aging adds that 80% of seniors are either financially struggling now or at risk of economic insecurity in retirement.

For seniors aiming to age in place—remaining in their homes as they grow older—this trend raises red flags. Aging in place often requires careful financial planning to cover costs like home modifications (e.g., ramps, grab bars), periodic in-home care, medical expenses, and general living costs. Diverting funds to adult children can erode the savings needed to sustain independence and comfort in later years.

Implications for Aging in Place

Reduced Retirement Savings: The most immediate impact of supporting adult children is the depletion of retirement funds. Seniors who prioritize their children’s financial needs may find themselves with insufficient savings to cover essential expenses later in life. For those aging in place, this could mean forgoing necessary home modifications or cutting back on in-home care services, potentially compromising safety and quality of life.

Increased Financial Dependence on Children: Ironically, parents who support their adult children now may inadvertently create a cycle of dependency. If young adults remain reliant on parental support, they may struggle to build their own financial stability. This could leave them less capable of providing financial or caregiving support to their aging parents in the future. For seniors aging in place, the expectation that children will “step up” later may not materialize, leaving them vulnerable to financial hardship.

Emotional and Relational Stress: The Savings.com report notes that 77% of parents attach conditions to their financial support, such as encouraging employment or education. While these boundaries are practical, they can strain family relationships. For seniors aging in place, maintaining strong family ties is often crucial for emotional support and occasional assistance. Financial disagreements could weaken these connections, leaving seniors more isolated.

Long-Term Economic Insecurity: With 18% of parents reporting that their support for adult children may continue indefinitely, the long-term financial outlook for these seniors is precarious. Aging in place requires a sustainable financial plan, but ongoing support for adult children could drain resources, increasing the risk of economic insecurity or even forcing seniors to relocate to more affordable (and less desirable) living situations.

Hidden Risks of Financial Dependency

Beyond immediate financial strain, supporting adult children can spark deeper risks that threaten seniors’ ability to age in place safely and securely.

Fomenting Crisis Desperation:  Adult children who rely heavily on parental support may face intense financial and emotional strain when that support diminishes, especially in today’s economic climate. This desperation can cloud decision-making and disrupt the mutual support families often expect. For instance, a child struggling to maintain their lifestyle might delay or forgo a parent’s necessary medical treatment to preserve funds. Others may keep a parent at home, despite lacking the ability to provide adequate care, prioritizing financial stability over safety. In extreme cases, desperation could lead to coercion, such as pressuring a parent to alter an estate plan to ensure continued support, or, in the worst scenarios, even result in elder abuse or violence.

Risk of Assets: Financial dependency also exposes seniors’ assets to significant legal and financial risks. Joint ownership of property or accounts with a child, often seen as a way to provide support, can expose those assets to the child’s liabilities, such as debts or lawsuits. Cash transfers to or for the benefit of children may later impair eligibility for government assistance programs like Medicaid or Passport, which have strict asset and income limits. In the most troubling cases, dependency can lead to theft or misappropriation, where a child intentionally or recklessly depletes a parent’s resources, leaving them unable to afford aging in place expenses.

Broader Consequences: The National Center on Elder Abuse reports that financial exploitation affects 5-10% of seniors annually, often by family members under financial stress. Untrained or overwhelmed children providing care may neglect critical needs, like medication management, increasing risks of falls or health declines. The mental health toll is also significant—seniors may feel anxious or coerced into continued support, while children face guilt or resentment, straining family bonds essential for aging in place.

Strategies for Balancing Support and Security

To protect their financial future while supporting their children, seniors can adopt these strategies:

Set Clear Boundaries: Discuss financial support openly with children, setting limits like a fixed monthly amount or a cutoff age (e.g., 25 or 30). The Savings.com report shows 77% of parents use conditions to encourage independence, a model others can follow.

Prioritize Retirement Savings: Financial planners emphasize saving for retirement first. Seniors should ensure monthly retirement contributions at least match or exceed support given to children.

Offer Non-Financial Support: Instead of cash, provide help like job search assistance, temporary housing, or financial literacy resources to foster independence without draining savings.

Protect Assets Legally: Work with an elder law attorney to safeguard assets through trusts, powers of attorney, or other tools. Avoid joint ownership or large cash transfers that could jeopardize Medicaid eligibility or expose assets to a child’s liabilities.

Plan for Aging in Place: Budget for home modifications, explore long-term care insurance, and apply for programs like Medicaid or HUD’s Section 202 for low-income seniors. An elder law attorney can ensure plans align with long-term goals.

Foster Family Communication: Hold family meetings to align expectations and prevent desperation-driven conflicts. Mediation or financial planning sessions can help maintain healthy dynamics.

Monitor for Exploitation: Stay vigilant for signs of financial abuse, such as unauthorized withdrawals or pressure to change estate plans. Regular check-ins with a trusted advisor or attorney can provide oversight.

A Call to Plan Ahead

The Savings.com findings are a wake-up call for seniors and their families. While helping adult children is natural, it must not compromise financial security or expose seniors to exploitation. For those committed to aging in place, preserving savings, protecting assets, and fostering healthy family dynamics are critical to maintaining independence.

By setting boundaries, prioritizing savings, and seeking legal guidance, seniors can support their children without sacrificing their future. Aging in place is a rewarding goal, but it demands discipline and foresight—starting with today’s decisions.

For personalized guidance on aging in place or elder law matters, consult a qualified elder law attorney or financial planner to ensure your plan aligns with your long-term goals.

Aging in Place Planning: Groundbreaking Study- Take Charge of Your Cognitive Health with Simple Lifestyle Changes

As we age, the risk of stroke, dementia, and late-life depression threaten our independence, decision-making, and financial health. The consequences of these conditions threaten our families with burden, cost, and concern. These conditions change how we live, make decisions, and plan for the future. But here’s the good news: a groundbreaking new study from Mass General Brigham, widely covered by CNN, The New York Times, and Fox News, suggests that simple everyday steps can lower our risks.

By making small changes now, we can protect our brains, stay independent longer, and make life easier for ourselves and our loved ones. From the perspectives of estate planning, elder law, and aging in place planning, the findings offer critical insights into preventive health strategies that can enhance quality of life, reduce care giving burdens, and inform legal and financial preparations for aging. This article dives into what the study found, why it matters for planning your future, and how you can start today.

What the Study Says

The Mass General Brigham study, looked at tons of research to identify 17  modifiable risk factors shared by stroke, dementia, and late-life depression (LLD), things we can change to lower our chances of suffering from these conditions. These aren’t complicated medical fixes—they’re things like eating better, staying active, or even spending more time with friends. 

High blood pressure and kidney problems have the most profound impact, but staying active and keeping your brain engaged can make a significant difference in cutting your risk. The study found that improving just one of these areas—like going for regular walks—can help protect against all three conditions. They even created a tool called the Brain Care Score to help you track your progress. For example, boosting your score by 5 points could cut your risk by 27% over 13 years. That’s something to get excited about!

The reason that the study is groundbreaking is that these conditions, which contribute significantly to stroke, dementia and depression, share vascular and small vessel pathologies, making their overlapping risk factors critical. The 17 modifiable risk factors common to at least two of the three diseases are: blood pressure, kidney disease, fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol, alcohol use, diet, hearing loss, pain, physical activity, purpose in life, sleep, smoking, social engagement, stress, body mass index (BMI), leisure time cognitive activity, and depressive symptoms. Among these, high blood pressure (hypertension ≥ 140/90 mm Hg) and severe kidney disease (estimated glomerular filtration rate < 30 mL/min/1.73 m²) had the greatest impact on disease incidence and burden, while physical activity and cognitive leisure activities were associated with the most significant risk reduction. The interconnected nature of these risk factors means that improving one—such as increasing physical activity—can positively impact others, like blood pressure, sleep, and social engagement.

Why This Matters for You and Your Family- Aging in Place, Estate Planning and Elderlaw Implications

As we get older, we want to stay in control of our lives—living in our own homes, making our own choices, and not leaning too heavily on our kids or loved ones. Stroke, dementia, and depression can make that harder, affecting everything from your health to your finances. This study gives us a roadmap to fight back, and it’s especially important if you’re thinking about aging in place, planning your estate, or  protecting your future.

Staying in Your Home (Aging in Place): Most of us want to stay in our own homes as we age,  surrounded by our friends, family, memories, and comfort. This study says you can make that more likely by moving your body, sleeping well, and managing stress. Here’s how to make your home work for you:

• Make It Health-Friendly: Add a place for stretching, a blood pressure cuff, or even smart lights to help you sleep better. These little changes support the habits the study recommends.  

• Fix Hearing Loss Early: Your home should not be a prison. Untreated hearing loss can make you feel isolated and raise your dementia risk. It makes you less likely to leave your home, and more likely to isolate. Get a check-up—it’s a small step with big payoffs.

• Get Family/Friends Involved: Ask your kids or grandkids to join you for walks or game nights. Invite friends over for a sports event or movie. It's fun, keeps you social, and lowers your risk of depression.  

• Use Tech: Set up reminders on your phone for meds or try a sleep-tracking or exercise app to stick with healthy habits.  Schedule Zoom or Facetime calls with families and friends to talk. Consider my article regarding the use of technology to reduce dementia risk and age in place.

Planning for Your Future (Estate Planning): Nobody wants to think about losing the ability to make decisions, but stroke or dementia can make that a reality. By taking steps like managing your blood pressure or quitting smoking, you can keep your mind sharp longer, which means you’re more likely to stay in charge of your money, your home, and your care. Here’s how you can plan smarter:

• Set Up a Routine Healthcare Plan: Work with a doctor, physicians assistant, personal trainer, deploy an online health app, and/or work with family and friends to improve your health, increase activity, and spend more active and engaging time with family and friends.  Design these around things you already enjoy or like.  Set goals, and work towards them to create a routine. 

• Advance Directives: Engage a lawyer to create a healthcare proxy and living will that says what you want if you become sick. Avoid simple minimalist forms, and actually state your intentions regarding long-term care (e.g., "if I need care I want it to be in my home," or "I do not want to burden my children financially, but hope they will provide time and support when needed").  Mention your current routines and plans (e.g., "monitor my blood pressure a few time a day," or "continue my selected supplements as they have demonstrated success" or I might qualify for Aid and Attendance because your father was a wartime vet, talk to the VA if I need help at home"). 

• Pick Someone You Trust: Choose a family member or friend to handle your finances and/or health decisions if you can’t. Make sure they know your goals, like staying healthy to avoid nursing homes and direct them to take advantage of your existing plan (e.g., if my Medicare benefit runs out, use my MA plan's "hospital at home" benefit, or pay for home care using my long-term insurance policy/short- term disability policy).   

• Deploy Trusts: Consider establishing trusts to fund healthcare needs, including home modifications or caregiver support, to facilitate aging in place, and/or to protect assets from long-term care spend down in the worst case.

• Save for Care: Set up a trust or savings to cover things like home modifications (think grab bars, ramps, a hospital bed at home, or a simple blood pressure monitor) so you can live independently longer.

• Financial and Insurance Planning: Consider aging in place planning when making other financial, insurance, or investment decisions. Consider, for example a Medicare Advantage Plan with home health care benefits, or a life insurance policy that is convertible to lifetime long-term care benefits.

Protecting Your Rights (Elder Law):  Elder law is fundamentally about making sure you’re taken care of as you age, whether that’s qualifying for Medicaid or finding community support. This study shows that simple changes—like joining a book club or getting your hearing checked—can keep you healthier, which means less stress on your wallet and your family. Here’s what you can do:  

• Stay Social: Loneliness can lead to depression, so find a local senior center or volunteer opportunity to stay connected. It’s good for your brain and your mood.  More, it protects your decision-making by providing interactions with people who know you and can alert you or your family if there are changes and/or help you if a predator or scammer attempts to take advantage of you.

• Plan for Medicaid: If you’re worried about long-term care costs, talk to an elder law attorney about protecting your savings while staying healthy to delay those costs.  

• Guardianship Protection: Implement a plan to protect you and your assets from guardianship.  Even a simple revocable trust can, in many states, be crafted to remove or frustrate guardianship control of the trust assets.

Easy Steps to Start Today

The study calls these 17 factors a “menu of options,” meaning you don’t have to do everything—just pick what works for you. Here are some ideas to get going: 

1. Check Your Blood Pressure: Get a home monitor and aim for under 120/80. Cut back on salty snacks, eat more fruits, and talk to your doctor if you think you need meds.  
2. Move More: Walk around the block, try chair exercises, or join a local tai chi class. It helps your heart, brain, and even your mood.  
3. Quit Smoking: If you smoke, call a quitline or ask your doctor for help. It’s one of the best things you can do for your brain.  
4. Stay Connected: Call a friend, join a hobby group, or volunteer. Feeling connected keeps depression at bay, and keeps you active.  
5. Challenge Your Brain: Do crosswords, read a new book, or learn a skill like painting or a new technology or device. It’s fun and keeps your mind sharp. 
6. Sleep and De-Stress: Try a bedtime routine or a quick meditation app to relax. Good sleep and less stress are brain boosters.

The Brain Care Score is a great way to see how you’re doing—just answer questions about your habits, and it’ll show you where to focus. The study says they’re working on more ways to use this tool, so keep an eye out!

How They Did the Study (And Why It’s Solid)

The researchers looked at 182 big studies from 2000 to 2023, narrowing it down to 59 that really dug into what causes these conditions. They focused on things you can actually change, like how much you exercise or how you manage stress, and figured out which ones matter most. They then employed a statistical analysis to compare how much each factor affects your risk, so you know where to put your energy.

This approach is strong because it pulls together lots of research, not just one small study. But it’s not perfect—they might’ve missed some things specific to depression, for example, and they can’t say for sure that changing these habits causes less disease (it’s more like a strong hint). Still, it’s a reliable guide for making smart choices.

What Else We Learned (And Why People Are Talking)

This study’s a big deal because it shows you don’t need a magic pill to protect your brain—just small, doable changes. People are excited about it—CNN called it a “hopeful message,” and experts say it’s empowering to know we can take control. It’s also a wake-up call: with dementia cases expected to skyrocket and strokes hitting even younger folks, starting now is key. Plus, things like finding purpose or staying social remind us that aging well isn’t just about your body—it’s about your heart and soul too.

One cool takeaway? The study’s Brain Care Score is like a personal coach for your brain. It’s already helping people, and researchers want to test it more to make it even better. For now, it’s a simple way to see what you’re doing right and where you can improve.

Wrapping It Up

Growing older doesn’t have to mean losing your independence or worrying your family. The Mass General Brigham study shows that by making small changes you can lower your chances of stroke, dementia, and depression. That means more years in your own home, more control over your future, and less stress for everyone. Whether you’re planning your estate, talking to a lawyer, or just want to age on your terms, these steps are a powerful way to take charge and implement a plan. So grab a friend, take a walk, and start building a healthier, happier future today.

Inflation Indexed Annuities in Aging in Place Planning

Illustration 217469610 © Adonis1969 | Dreamstime.com

Rarely do articles on this blog deal with specific investment options.  Recently, however, while speaking with a client, she shared a feeling of helplessness following a meeting with her financial advisor.  A few phone calls sorted her options and planning.  This article is designed to educate readers regarding a planning option with which, apparently, some advisors and agents are unfamiliar.

Many who plan financially for aging in place focus on guaranteed income, rather than relying on large liquid amounts invested for further growth through investment risk. Aside from other arguments against risking principal, there is the simple fact that alternatives to institutional care (nursing homes and assisted living facilities) involve periodic costs, usually paid monthly or weekly.  In other words, if you have a healthy guaranteed income, within which you can easily meet additional expenses, the prospect of alternative care cost is not as disruptive as it might be otherwise. 

The issue that is increasingly on everyone's lips, however, is inflation.  Whether inflation is already built in to our economy, soon to arrive and/or well-in-hand by our Federal Reserve Bank, this article will leave to others to debate. A college economics professor once characterized inflation as not unlike water- a little bit is necessary and good, but a lot can kill you.  Regardless, even the long-term care industry is concerned.    

Sometimes called an inflation-protected annuity, an inflation-indexed immediate annuity is similar to a fixed annuity. You receive a guaranteed stream of income from the insurance company for the rest of your life. With an inflation-indexed annuity, however, payments increase (or sometimes decrease) each year, keeping pace with the rate of inflation.

An inflation-indexed annuity tracks standard measures of inflation, typically, the consumer price index (CPI)(one measure of the rate of change of the cost of a selected basket of goods, reflecting the rate of inflation). The monthly income from this form of annuity gradually changes with the CPI. Since money loses purchasing power with inflation, inflation index-tracking annuities theoretically allows your money to retain that power as inflation fluctuates.

Inflation-adjusted annuities have one obvious drawback: they initially begin with smaller payments than a traditional fixed payment plan. The effect of this is that it might take decades for the inflation-adjusted income to catch up to the fixed payment, which means there is a distinct possibility of reduced payouts for life if you die before they catch up.

Talk to you investment advisor, financial planner, or insurance agent.  This article doe not constitute financial advice, and is merely educational.  Your advisor can make specific recommendations after considering your circumstances, needs, goals, and objectives.    

Rising Gray Divorce Rate Complicating Planning

The rise in “gray divorce,” or split-ups among couples over the age of 50, is causing an increase in family conflicts and complicating financial and estate planning, according to a survey conducted by TD Wealth, the private wealth unit of TD Bank, found that gray divorce is adding another layer of complexity to an estate planning process that now often includes blended families and ever-changing domestic structures. The results were based on responses from attorneys, trust officers, accountants, charitable giving professionals, insurance advisers, elder law specialists and wealth management professionals.

“As a result of the growing divorce rate, it’s more important than ever to proactively review and discuss estate plans with clients and their families on an ongoing basis,” said Ray Radigan, head of private trust at TD Wealth.

The rate of gray divorce which has doubled since 1990, is posing a strain on retirement finances and having an impact on a variety of issues affecting older adults. The survey found that it is affecting decisions about powers of attorney (7%), determining appropriate Social Security benefits (6%) and drafting wills (5%).

Criminals Steal $37 Billion Every Year from the Elderly-- Here's How

Elder fraud is an immense, complicated, and imposing problem, with implications for every aspect of a person's estate, financial, health care, and long term care plan. Effective aging in place planning and post retirement financial planning must include consideration of these risks. It is tragic that criminals take billions from the elderly using telecommunications and the internet, both tools necessary for communication. 

There is an excellent Bloomberg article describing how criminals prey upon the elderly, which article you can find here.  

See the firm's Facebook post here. 

Must-Know Statistics About Long-Term Care

Christine Benz, Morningstar's director of personal finance, has penned an excellent article regarding long term care.  In it, she collects the most fascinating array of statistics regarding long-term care, caregiving, and the financial consequences of both.  

Ms. Benz describes the issue of what to do about long term casts later in life as the "single unsolved problem in the retirement plans for many middle- and upper-middle-income adults."  

She warns against the wealthy being too cavalier about their ability to pay the cost of long-term care: 

"[v]ery high-income, high-net-worth people can plan to self-fund long-term care costs, though I'd advise them to do the math on long-term care cost inflation before getting too comfy with the idea that they'll have enough to do so. 

Meanwhile, she warns that most people without significant financial assets will need to rely on Medicaid-provided long-term care; Medicaid and other government programs cover the majority of the long-term care costs in the U.S.

For those in the middle, she describes the choices as "stark and rather unappealing:" 

Sandwiched in the middle are people with some, even significant, financial assets--just not necessarily enough to comfortably fund a $300,000 (or more) long-term care outlay at the end of their lives. For them, the choices are stark and rather unappealing. They could purchase traditional long-term care insurance and risk premium hikes. Alternatively, they could purchase one of the increasingly popular hybrid life/long-term care products and face an opportunity cost, as discussed here. Or they could forego insurance altogether, planning to self-fund care or use nonportfolio assets, such as a home sale, to cover any long-term care costs.

Add to these unappealing choices the surprises that often await long-term care recipients, including, but not limited to state resource recovery laws and filial responsibility- and the choices are worse than "stark;" they are potentially devastating.  

Every year, Ms. Benz compiles facts and figures regarding long-term care in an effort to aid in decision making and planning.  These statistics follow organized by subject matter.  

Usage of Long-Term Care

• 52%: Percentage of people turning age 65 who will need some type of long-term care services in their lifetimes. 
• 47%: Estimated percentage of men 65 and older who will need long-term care during their lifetimes.
• 58%: Estimated percentage of women 65 and older who will need long-term care during their lifetimes.
• 2.5 years: Average number of years women will need long-term care.
• 1.5 years: Average number of years men will need long-term care.
• 14%: Percentage of people who will need long-term care for longer than five years.
• 10%: Percentage of Americans over age 65 who have Alzheimer's dementia. 
• 33%: Percentage of Americans over age 85 who have Alzheimer's dementia. 
• 64%: Percentage of Americans with Alzheimer's dementia who are women.
• 123%: Percentage increase in the number of people who died from Alzheimer's dementia, 2000-2015.
• -11%: Percentage decrease in the number of people who died from heart disease, 2000-2015.
• 22%: Percentage of individuals over 65 in the highest income quintile who will have a long-term care need of two years or longer.
• 31%: Percentage of individuals over 65 in the lowest income quintile who will have a long-term care need of two years or longer.
• 45%: Percentage of people requiring significant long-term care help (assistance with two or more activities of daily living) who are under age 65.
• 8%: Percentage of people between the ages of 40 and 50 who will have a disability that will require long-term care services.

Paying for Care

• $30 billion: Long-term care expenditures in the U.S., 2000.
• $225 billion: Long-term care expenditures in the U.S., 2015.
• 57.5%: Percentage of individuals turning 65 between 2015 and 2019 who will spend less than $25,000 on long-term care during their lifetimes.
• 15.2%: Percentage of individuals turning 65 between 2015 and 2019 who will spend more than $250,000 on long-term care during their lifetimes.
• $341,840: Estimated lifetime cost of care for someone with dementia. 
• $18,200: Median annual cost for adult day care (five days/week), 2017.
• $45,000: Median annual cost for assisted-living facility, 2017.
• $85,775: Median annual nursing-home cost, semiprivate room, 2017.
• $97,455: Median annual nursing-home cost, private room, 2017.
• $215,770: Average annual nursing-home cost, private room, Manhattan, 2017.
• $51,100: Average annual nursing-home cost, private room, Monroe, Louisiana, 2017.
• $23,394: Median annual income from all sources for individuals who are 65 or older.
• $39,823: Median annual income for households headed by people 65 or older.
• 3.8%: Five-year annual inflation rate in nursing-home costs, private room, 2017.
• 5.5%: One-year annual inflation rate in nursing home costs, private room, 2017.
• 19%: Percentage of long-term care costs that were paid out of pocket, 2013.
• 8%: Percentage of long-term care costs that were paid by private insurance, 2013. 
• $263,200: Median household wealth for adults age 65 or older with no disabilities. 
• $94,200: Median household wealth for adults age 65 or older with limitations on two or more activities of daily living. 

Caregiving 

• 34.2 million: The number of Americans who have provided unpaid care to an adult 50 or over in the past 12 months.
• 16.1 million: The number of caregivers for someone with Alzheimer's or other dementia. 
• $470 billion: The estimated dollar value of long-term care provided by unpaid caregivers, 2013. 
• 65%: The percentage of caregivers who are female.
• 33%: Approximate percentage of caregivers to people with Alzheimer's/other dementias who are daughters.
• 25%: Approximate percentage of caregivers who are "sandwich generation" caregivers, providing care to children as well as older adults. 
• 34%: The percentage of caregivers who are age 65 or older.
• 33%: The percentage of people providing care to people age 65 or older who describe their own health as fair or poor. 
• 83%: Percentage of care provided to older adults that is delivered by friends or family members. 
• 65%: The percentage of older adults with long-term care needs who rely exclusively on friends and family members to provide that assistance.
• 34.7: Average number of hours worked by unpaid caregivers who have jobs in addition to caregiving. 
• 70%: The percentage of caregivers who suffered work-related difficulties due to their caregiving duties.
• 36%: The average percentage of caregivers for people age 50 or older who said they were experiencing high levels of financial strain.
• 10%: The estimated percentage of older adults who have suffered from some form of elder abuse. 
• 7%: The estimated percentage of elder-abuse cases that are reported to authorities.

State and Federal Funding 

• 51%: Percentage of long-term care services and supports that were provided through Medicaid, 2013.
• 20%:  Percentage of long-term care services and supports that were provided through other public sources, 2013.
• 62%: Percentage of nursing home residents whose care is provided by Medicaid. 
• 20%: Percentage of Medicaid funding that went to pay long-term care costs in 2016. 
• 50%: Expected increase in Medicaid spending for long-term care between 2016 and 2026.
• $123,600: Maximum amount of assets that a healthy spouse can retain for the other spouse to be eligible for long-term care benefits provided by Medicaid, 2018. (Actual amounts vary by state.) 
• $3,090: Maximum amount of monthly income that a healthy spouse can receive for the other spouse to be eligible for long-term care benefits provided by Medicaid, 2018. (Actual amounts vary by state.) 
• 100: Days of care in a skilled nursing facility ("rehab") covered in full or in part by Medicare following a qualifying hospital stay.

Long-Term Care Insurance 

• 125: Number of insurers offering standalone long-term care policies, 2000. 
• Fewer than 15: Number of insurers offering standalone long-term care policies, 2014. 
• 380,000: Number of individual long-term care insurance policies sold, 1990.
• 129,000: Number of individual long-term care insurance policies sold, 2014. 
• 72,736: Number of hybrid life/long-term care policies sold to individuals, 2009.
• 305,068: Number of hybrid life/long-term care policies sold to individuals, 2013.
• 4.5 million: Number of individuals with long-term care insurance coverage, 2000. 
• 7.25 million: Number of individuals with long-term care insurance coverage, 2014. 
• $1.98 trillion: Maximum potential benefit of all long-term care policies in force today.
• $1.87 billion: Annual claims on long-term care insurance policies, 2000.
• $9.2 billion: Annual claims on long-term care insurance policies, 2017.
• $1,677: Average annual premium, long-term care policies being sold, 2000.
• $2,772: Average annual premium, long-term care policies being sold, 2015.
• 99%: Percentage of new long-term care policies that cover both nursing home and in-home care.
• 0.5%: Percentage of all businesses offering long-term care insurance to their employees.
• 20%: Percentage of businesses with 10 or more employees offering long-term care insurance to their employees. 
• 13.9%: Percentage of applicants ages 50-59 denied long-term care coverage due to health issues. 
• 44.8%: Percentage of applicants ages 70-79 denied long-term care insurance due to health issues.