When Do People Need Long-Term Care?

Although we normally think of long-term care as a concern reserved for the elderly, the need for long-term care can arise at any age. Most of us are aware of younger people who have needed care, usually due to an accident or a disabling illness.

Middle-aged people can also suddenly lose the ability to care for themselves. In midlife, a need for long-term care usually results from conditions like heart disease or stroke. Mental health conditions also become more prevalent during middle age.

But the reality is that the odds of needing long-term care and the duration of the need for long-term care services begin to increase drastically as we age. The vast majority of people needing care for five years or longer fall into the 60 and older age group.

The most dramatic leap in the need for long-term care comes in the over-85 age group. Almost half of all people over 85 require some form of care, either at home or in a facility. Long-term care is a serious societal issue because this age group is the fastest growing segment of the American population. The over-85 age group will triple as a percentage of the population by 2050.