All ages can need long-term care! However, usually when people think of long-term care they tend to think of it as care for the elderly. This is not the case. In fact, almost half of the people that need long-term care are under the age of 65. An example of this is Christopher Reeves who needs long-term care due to his horseback riding accident. You've probably known of younger people in your community that need long-term care because of things like strokes, car accidents, skiing accidents, multiple sclerosis or a variety of other disabling diseases.

We are living longer than we ever used to due to medical technology, increased longevity and the fact that we take better care of ourselves now than ever before. Therefore, as our society ages, even more people will need long-term care.

Women are more likely to need long-term care than men. Women tend to have more chronic conditions, like arthritis and osteoporosis. Men tend to have more acute types of health conditions that lead quickly to death, like a heart attack. Also, women are more likely to need long-term care services than men because they have a longer life expectancy.

Many times women marry men that are older than them. With the life expectancy being longer for women and their husbands being older it is very common for women to care for their older husbands at home. After they pass away the women are left alone and their care is more likely to be provided by their children, or in a nursing home.

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