Lessons Learned by ElderCare/PrimePlus Practitioners

You or your clients may be looking for information and guidance on two issues facing aging clients. Here are some pointers and resources gained at a recent AICPA conference.

At this year’s annual ElderCare/PrimePlus Services Conference held September 22 and 23 in Phoenix, Arizona, practitioners “learned lessons” helpful to their practices. Here are just a few highlights of “lessons learned” by participants as expert speakers helped to simplify what can be at times complex issues affecting our advanced age clients.

Housing options
The informative session on housing options offered unbiased perspectives on assisted care facilities, in-home care, group homes, long-term care facilities, and other options. In this session, participants learned lessons about the differences among the various choices, including how to judge their costs, and how to best pay for them.

Do you know who pays the bill for an Assisted Living residence? Residents or their families generally pay the cost of care from their own financial resources. Depending on the nature of an individual’s health insurance program or long-term care insurance policy, costs may be reimbursed. Assisted living facilities generally provide housing, group meals, personal care and support services, and social activities in a residential setting. Some health care may be provided. Costs may be between $1,000 and $3,000 a month or more.

Interestingly enough, even with the cost of the assisted living facilities and the full range of amenities provided to residents, the amenities generally do not include services related to the residents’ “personal finances.” For practitioners looking to expand their services to include ElderCare/PrimePlus Services, assisted living facilities offer an opportunity that can result in a “win/win” relationship for the assisted living residents as well as the practitioner.

For more information on housing options, visit the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) at www.aahsa.org/public/consumer.htm.

Long-term-care insurance
Several conference sessions discussed long-term care (LTC) insurance, clarifying many of the confusing issues facing our advanced aged clients. Many people think that Medicare will provide LTC if they need it. Practitioners “learned the lesson” that in general Medicare does not cover LTC. One speaker stressed the need to approach the LTC insurance issue from the standpoint that you are currently self-insuring; do you need to “re-insure” the value of what today can exceed $50,000 per year?

Do you know some of the key questions to ask to initially determine if your client may need to investigate LTC insurance? Some simple questions to ask your clients are:

Are you over 50?
Can you qualify for LTC insurance?
Can you afford the premiums?

Practitioners learned that if their clients answer yes to these questions, they probably need to consult an ElderCare/Long Term Care insurance specialist, if they have not already done so. After learning that premiums are “cheaper” the younger you start, with the “sweet spot” being mid to late 50s, I heard several practitioners say, “I need to check into LTC insurance for myself!”

For more information on expanding your practice to include ElderCare/PrimePlus Services visit www.aicpa.org/assurance/eldercare/index.htm.

Debra Wright, CPA, is with Hereford, Lynch Sellers & Kirkman PC, Conroe, Texas.