Alzheimer's Disease is a progressive brain diffunction that affects an about 6 million Americans and most of those people over the age of 65. As the US population ages along with the Baby Boomers, the number of people with Alzheimer's Disease is expected to rise quickly. Alzheimer's patients slowly lose their cognative abilities including memory, language and motor skills as well as becoming confused easily.  Some Alzheimer's patients will suffer dramatic personality changes, and even lose their ability to take care of themselves.  At this point they will begin to need long term care.  About 10 years is the time a person on average is expected to live after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and those years are almost always tough on the person and their family.

The cost of caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease is severe

Most Alzheimer's sufferers initially live in their own home or are cared for by family and friends at their home.  The main challenge is that family caregivers can become emotionally, physically, and financially drained after providing continuous care and supervision for a person with Alzheimer's disease. It's much like caring for a 2 year old unfortunately.  Alzheimer's Disease will cause the patient to be agitated, physically aggressive, delusional, withdrawn from family and friends, have disturbing behaviors and become disoriented often found roaming their neighbor hood.  At this point families will typically consider nursing homes or assisted living facilities when the person gets to this point.

Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia are the leading causes for needing long term care.  People with Alzheimer's eventually require constant long-term care services, at home, or in a nursing or assisted living facility.

With the uncertainty of cognitive diseases long term care insurance makes sense for most simply because it will prevent you from being a burden to your family and assure you are properly taken care of.

Protection with long term care insurance

Long term care insurance provides families the choice to give their loved ones the proper care that is required in Alzheimer's situations. All long term care insurance policies will cover Alzheimer's disease and organic brain syndromes. However, some polices will not cover in-organic brain syndromes such as psychological disorders like depression.  Long term care insurance must purchased before the problem arises because the company will deny your application if you do not meat their underwriting requirements.  A good way to think of this is no auto insurance company would insure your car for an accident that already happened.  If the insured has Alzheimer's disease at the time of application, request for long term care insurance coverage will be denied.

In Alzheimer's situations the physical, emotional, and financial stress of taking care of a loved one is extremely stressful for the family.  Adult children can learn from their parents and protect their own financial security by purchasing long term care insurance for their parents if it's not too late or for themselves.