Are home health aides the new "staff"?

[cyberswede]

7. You bring up interesting points.

My husband and I just signed up for long term care insurance, so if we need elder care, it will help defray the cost.

The impetus for this was the decline of my husband's parents. The transition to assisted living, full-on nursing home care, and ultimately the passing of his mother opened our eyes quite a bit. His father is now in a care facility, with dwindling assets, but not yet on Title XIX - it's been very stressful for the family. We don't want our kids to have to deal with this stuff when our turn comes.

I also think family size makes a difference. My husband is one of three kids, but I'm one of eight. We haven't really considered long-term care for my 83 year-old mother - there are plenty of us around to help her with various levels of care. She had a hip replaced a few weeks ago, and my sisters and I took turns staying over at her place to help until she was back on her feet.

Large families are less common nowadays, and people often don't stay in the same locale as their patents, so I can see why the need for home health aids might be on the rise. That said, I don't think the relationship will be much like that of very wealthy people with their "staff." The need for support is more a necessity than a luxury, and those performing the service may be of a much closer socio-economic level to their clients, so I expect the dynamic to be different.

I do think that if those providing the service can be well compensated, all parties would benefit.