The State of Vermont is preparing for the fast-growing population of its elderly folks who are 65 years old and older as it is currently 14.5% of the state’s total population and this percentage is expected to double in 2030. Various Vermont long term care programs have actually been laid out for uninsured individuals who are looking at receiving in-home care.

Through Choices for Care, a 1115 waiver, uninsured Vermonters 65 years of age or older and those who are 18 and beyond with physical disabilities can receive assistance with their activities of daily living (ADL) such as eating, bathing, dressing, use of toilet, continence, and transferring or ambulating. This program also provides meal preparation, housecleaning, laundering, and administration of a patient’s medication.

Vermont happens to be among the states in the northeastern region of the country that offer expensive long term care (LTC). Vermont residents and immigrants should see to it that they have a secure LTC plan before they reach the age of 80, otherwise they won’t be able to receive the kind of care that they want, rather, they would depend on what Medicaid’s programs are capable of providing to them.

Majority of Vermonters prefer in-home care over institutionalized care and thus explaining why this state is teeming with home health care agencies that provide 24-hour home care via their licensed caregivers.

Many home health care agencies in Vermont only hire and train licensed caregivers so that home care patients receive nothing below topnotch care. Based on the Genworth Financial 2011 Cost of Care Survey the average annual rate of a home health aide in Vermont is $48,482 while homemaker services would cost $46,904 per annum.

Still, there is a big possibility of finding here home health care agencies that offer home care services at much lower rates. It is for this reason that one has to study the cost of care in his area before he spends his hard earned money on a specific LTC plan.

Planning for Vermont Long Term Care

It is easy to find licensed nursing homes, community-based LTC facilities, and home health care agencies in Vermont since the state strictly monitors its healthcare industry to ensure that people are receiving the type of care that is suitable for their health requirements.

What Vermonters need to look for is the most effective LTC plan because the cost of care in Vermont is not cheap at all. Even though Vermonters living in the outskirts of the city can find more affordable LTC services, they will still end up using up all their resources since it is a very rare instance that a person required only a year of care.

According to health care providers, the shortest period for care that a person would require is two years or three. Now those with chronic illnesses such as Alzheimer’s could need up to 10 years of care.

If you’re in the process of planning your Vermont long term care, take time to look into the various offerings of a long term care insurance (LTCI) policy as this product was designed to alleviate the cost of care and help people protect their resources.