About 70 percent of people over the age of 65 will need some type of long-term care during their lifetime, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). On average, women will need care for a longer period of time (3.7 years), compared to men (2.2 years), and 20 percent of 65-year-olds will need care for more than five years.
An active, healthy lifestyle can help protect your mind and body from disease and injury—which often lead to a need for long-term care. However, there are no guarantees in life and the question of whether—and how long—you or your spouse may need care remains unknown.
Since aging is an individual thing, a couple should not expect that both partners will have the same needs throughout retirement. As a couple ages, one partner may require assisted living or skilled nursing services, while the other partner remains able to live independently.
Some couples are choosing to spend their “golden years” in a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) like Christwood in Covington, LA, to help them prepare for the challenges that an unknown future may offer. Christwood and other CCRCs provide a continuum of services, ranging from independent living to full-time skilled care, which is available if and when you need them. If, after moving into a CCRC, one spouse eventually needs a higher level of health care services, the couple can still be together at the retirement community.
Here is an example of how a CCRC can meet the needs of both partners over time:
Jim and Jane move into an independent living apartment at Christwood, a CCRC. A few years later, Jane is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. The couple continues to live together for a couple of years, but as Jane’s needs change, she moves into Christwood’s Longleaf Cognitive Memory Care neighborhood, another part of the CCRC, to receive additional care and support. Jim continues to enjoy the social benefits of living within the retirement community and can visit with Jane, who is just a short walk away, whenever he wants.
Couples who seek peace of mind in the face of uncertainty may want to consider a CCRC as a viable retirement living choice to ensure that both partners will be taken care of now and in the future. Christwood offers outstanding care and support throughout a full continuum of care, including assisted living, memory care, rehabilitation and skilled nursing. This is in addition to our independent living apartment homes and cottages—all on a beautiful 117-acre campus in Covington.
To learn more, contact us today.
