Most people mistakenly view "long-term care" as synonymous with "nursing home care." The reality is that a person's care normally progresses through a continuum of care that may never require nursing home confinement.
For example, older people experiencing the frailties of aging may first require only a minimal amount of assistance in their home for a few hours each week. If the condition worsens and they experience problems with maintaining their balance, taking medications, or loss of memory, a move to an assisted living community may be the next step on the continuum of care.
Unless the condition worsens, or a terminal illness develops, the need for more comprehensive care in a nursing home will probably never be required. This trend toward helping people avoid nursing home care and receive care in a more comfortable setting is a bright spot in the generally somber subject of long-term care.
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