The Basics of Long Term Care

Long term care is the type of care people need to perform normal activities of daily living (ADL’s) over an extended period of time. The need for long term care typically arises as part of our normal aging process, but can also be due to an injury or illness, such as a stroke, or due to a cognitive impairment, such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

Most long-term care is non-skilled personal care assistance, such as help performing everyday Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), which are:

• Bathing
• Dressing
• Eating
• Transferring (to or from bed or chair),
• Caring for incontinence, and
• Toileting

The goal of the caregiver is to help you maximize your independence and functioning at a time when you are unable to be fully independent.