Long Term Care Top Concern for Older Vermonters

Posted April 7th, 2010 by Dave Reaville

Long-Term Care is Top Concern for Older Vermonters

BURLINGTON, VT, April 1, 2010 – If you ask older Vermonters what they are most concerned about as they age, the most common answer is their ability to afford the cost of long-term care when needed, according to a recent survey of 500 Vermont AARP members.  A survey report released today shows that nearly 30% of older Vermonters list long-term care affordability as the top concern they think state government should address, followed by the cost of health care in general.  

Over half of the respondents stated that they are expecting Medicare or Medicaid to finance some of their long-term care costs. However, Medicare does not actually cover these costs, and Vermont Medicaid covers home and community based or nursing home care only for those financially eligibility. Some 36% of AARP members said they plan to use personal and retirement savings to fund care, while a quarter (24%) expects to use part of the proceeds from the sale of their home to pay for needed care. In addition, as many as 65% of those surveyed said they would prefer to receive long-term care services at home. 

“Clearly, older Vermonters are worried about how they are going to afford proper care as they live out their years, and believe government should take on the issue,” said Greg Marchildon, AARP Vermont state director.  “At a time when state government is looking at places to trim services to balance the budget, this data suggests that reducing Vermont’s ability to care for our oldest and most vulnerable citizens is not the place to cut.  Unfortunately, some of those home and community-based  long-term care services are on the chopping block and millions of federal matching funds will be lost if these measures are carried out.” 

Marchildon said that AARP’s Vermont membership is reflective of the state’s 50+ population as a whole and hopes lawmakers will consider these findings as they deliberate. The telephone survey of 50+ AARP members was completed in January for the Vermont Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living.  The survey also addressed transportation, access to health care services/providers, affordable housing and economic security concerns.