Perhaps the best way to get a handle on long-term care cost is to ask someone who is experiencing the cost first hand, for example with a spouse or parent. It varies greatly depending on how needy one is, where he or she is going to receive care, and by whom.
Average monthly costs of long term care.
| Range | Average | ||
| Nursing Facilities | Private Room | $4,500 – $7,500 | $6,000 |
| Semi-Private Room | $3,600 – $6,000 | $5,300 | |
| Assisted Living Communities | Private Room | $2,200 – $5,000 | $3,200 |
| Semi-Private Room | $1,800 – $4,000 | $2,700 | |
| Home Health Care Services | $16 – $60 / hour | $20 / hour | |
Consider that the above may not include other needed services which may be added on an ―a la carte‖ basis (particularly the case with assisted living communities). Home health care can be quite afford able if the need is for only a few hours a day to relieve the primary care giver. On the other hand, if a highly skilled provider is needed around the clock, the cost would be staggering and far exceed even the best nursing facility cost.
Based on today’s facility cost of $6,000 per month, multiplied by a typical (but by no means worst case scenario) period of just one person needing three years of care — the total cost would equal $216,000.
More importantly, if inflation grows by only 5%, what today would cost $216,000 would cost more than $700,000 twenty-five years from now!
