One of the more common mistakes people make when it comes to long-term healthcare is waiting too long before making any plans or preparations. This can cause problems if the person applies for a benefit program such as Medicaid/ALTCS.  Making advance preparations can prevent these problems. 

You should take steps to plan for long-term healthcare if you have a high probability of requiring future long-term healthcare.  For instance, if you are diagnosed with a chronic disease such as Alzheimer’s, you will probably require long-term healthcare at some future time.  You can prepare yourself for receiving such care by planning now.

Preparing for long-term healthcare means taking certain steps:

• Educating yourself on the health decisions you will face.
• Making sure your affairs are in order with your family. 
• Arranging your assets to maximize protection from the costs associated with long-term healthcare.