High Body Mass Index (BMI) and Long Term Care

A recent article on obesity in the Wall Street Journal (9/29/09) implies many ramifications for users of long term care (LTC) insurance.  The article discusses a long-term research project that was begun in 1976 and evaluated the health and weight status of 17,000 female nurses, average age 50. The results have much to tell us about how obesity affects our everyday functioning as we grow older.  The study was published in the medical journal, BMJ.  It was paid for by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Boston Obesity Nutrition Research Center.

The prevailing mindset of most Americans these days seems to be a belief that they will work hard for a great portion of their lives, retire as early as possible, then enjoy their “golden” years by spending time with their families, traveling, pursuing hobbies, and, in some cases, chasing unmet dreams of their youth.

However, enlightened citizens know that unforeseen things can occur, such as illness or accidents, and after age 65 they have about a 50% chance of needing some sort of long term care assistance in their final years.  This statistic translates into the fact that in the case of married couples, there is the strong probability that at least one of them will need some sort of long term assistance at some point in their life.   This author can testify from personal experience, and from observation among many personal, aging friends and associates, when one partner becomes disabled, even with long term care insurance benefits, the unaffected partner’s life will be drastically changed, in that he/she will have to start performing many normal household functions that the affected partner is no longer able to.  Thus the “golden” years won’t be so golden anymore.

But what, you may ask does all this have to do with obesity?  Basically, obesity increases the probability that one will not be in as good health in older age as a normal weight person will.  The Wall Street Journal article points out that for every one point increase in the body mass index (BMI) of the women studied they had a 12% lower chance of surviving to age 70 in good health, as compared to thin women.  Of course, people who are more overweight than this will be at much higher risk for obesity related diseases and problems, such as diabetes, osteoporosis, arthritis, breast cancer, thyroid problems, back and joint problems, limited mobility, clogged arteries, strokes, etc.  In short, nothing good comes from being overweight.  Life throws enough challenges at us anyway, and a good Long Term Care policy is protection for the unforeseen and unpredictable things that can happen to all of us.
 

But the bottom line in all of this is, despite whether we are overweight or not, have long term care insurance or not, one of the best things we can do to get to older age, and be able to enjoy it, is to maintain reasonable weight standards and exercise regularly.  And don’t smoke and buckle your seat belts!

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