Who Cares for Disabled Older Adults? Get to Know Long-Term Care Insurance, the "New Social Insurance"
Once an older family member becomes disabled, long-term care often exhausts the whole family physically, mentally and financially. Long-term care insurance is an institutional arrangement designed to solve this very problem, called by many the "sixth insurance" beyond the standard social insurance. As pilots expand, it is getting closer to more and more families.
lightbulbKey takeaways
- ✓Long-term care insurance provides care services or subsidies for disabled people
- ✓Called the "sixth" social insurance, it eases family burdens
- ✓It usually requires applying and passing a disability-level assessment
- ✓Policies differ by region; consult your local department
What long-term care insurance covers
Long-term care insurance mainly serves people assessed as having reached a certain level of disability and needing long-term care, providing them with care services or corresponding cost subsidies, covering daily-life care and related medical nursing.
Its core is to ease the care and financial burden on families of disabled people, letting older adults receive more professional and dignified care while partly freeing family members from heavy caregiving.
How to apply and what you can receive
You generally need to apply first and pass a disability-level assessment; once you meet the standard, you can receive benefits such as institutional care, home care services or subsidies per the rules. The specific enrollment methods, assessment standards and benefits vary among pilot areas.
Service forms include professional institutional care and in-home nursing visits, and enrollees can choose based on their situation to meet different families' needs.
Follow local policy implementation
Because long-term care insurance is still being rolled out and refined, coverage, financing methods and benefit standards differ across regions. Families with disabled older adults should consult the local medical insurance or relevant department to learn the specific local policy.
As aging deepens, this system's significance will grow. Learning about it early and using the policy well can relieve considerable pressure on a family.
This article is for health education reference only and cannot replace professional medical diagnosis or treatment. If you feel unwell, please seek medical care promptly.