Connecticut Long Term Care Insurance Partnership Information Website Launched

A consumer educational website focused on the Connecticut Long Term Care Insurance Partnership program has been launched by the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance (AALTCI) the national trade group focused on creating heightened awareness of the importance of long term care planning.

According to Jesse Slome, executive director of AALTCI, the Partnership programs provide some very unique asset protection benefits designed to encourage more middle income individuals to undertake long term care planning.

Connecticut was one of the four original states to offer the special Long Term Care Partnership program, Slome explains.  New York, California and Indiana were the other three original states launched in the early 1990s.

“The Partnership program was originally made possible by grants from the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation with the specific goal of making affordable long term care insurance protection available and attractive to as many individuals as possible,” Slome adds.

Connecticut residents are eligible for the program that can only be offered by approved insurers and licensed professionals who take part in special training.  The Association will be working closely with designated professionals to help consumers seeking information as well as cost proposals for this important protection.

The web address for the new website is http://www.connecticutpartnershiponly.com and provides the latest information on the program.   AALTCI recently posted a website for New York residents interested in partnership information.  The New York Long Term Care Partnership website provides New York residents with meaningful information.

Established in 1998, the American Association for Long Term Care Insurance is the national organization created to educate consumers about the importance of long term care planning and to support insurance professionals who market these products.

Long Term care Insurance Expert Reports Low Vitamin B12 Linked To Cognitive Decline In Elderly

Older individuals who have low levels of vitamin B12 in their blood have a greater risk of brain shrinkage, losing cognitive skills and greater risk of needing long term health care.

"The number of U.S. adults aged 65 years and older is projected to nearly double over the next two decades," explains Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Long Term Care Insurance, the national trade organization.  "As a result, the incidence of cognitive issues especially Alzheimer's disease and other dementias is also expected to rise as will the need for costly long term care."

According to Chicago researchers foods rich in vitamin B12 include those derived from animals and include, eggs, milk, liver, meat, and fish.  Vitamin B12 plays a key role in normal nervous system functioning and brain development. It is also involved in the formation of red blood cells.

Scientists undertook a study of individuals aged at least 65 years. They underwent blood tests to check for B12 and B12-related metabolites levels. They were also assessed for memory and other cognitive skills. Some five years later magnetic resonance imaging scans of their brains were taken to measure comparative brain size and to identify other signs of brain damage.

Those with four of five markers for vitamin B12 deficiency were found to have a higher risk of getting lower cognitive test scores and smaller total brain volumes.  The National Institute of Aging funded the study.

Vitamin B12 plays a key role in normal nervous system functioning and brain development. It is also involved in the formation of red blood cells.

Planning experts advise those seeking to learn more about long-term care planning and get long-term care insurance cost contact a designated expert via the Association's Consumer Information Center at http://www.aaltci.org/long-term-care-insurance/free-quote/.  They point out that the best ages to look into this protection is prior to age 65 when health issues can make it harder or more costly to medically qualify for coverage.

Women Aged Over 85 Have Higher Prevalence Of Arthritis And Joint Pain

A new study finds that the lifetime prevalence of arthritis is 65.4% in individuals aged 85, with women impacted more than men.

According to Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Long Term Care Insurance, while arthritis is strongly connected with age, few investigations have studied how the oldest individuals (those aged 85+ years) are affected by the disease.

The study looked at over 1,000 individuals aged 85 years old and revealed that for any arthritis the lifetime prevalence was high, with 65.4% of the participants having arthritis.  According to Slome, the researchers discovered that the disease was more common in women than men: 69.1% vs 58.8%.

Osteoarthritis the researchers found was most prevalent in the knee joint followed by the hip and hand. A percentage of those participating in the study identified the knee as the most painful joint, even though the foot, ankle and lower back received the highest pain score. With the exception of the shoulder and foot, for all joints women reported a higher average pain score.

The study was published today in the journal Age and Ageing.  According to AALTCI, arthritis is the fourth leading cause of long term care insurance claims for nursing home care, following Alzheimer's, nervous system conditions and stroke.

"With more Americans living into their 80s and beyond, having a long term care plan in place is more important than ever," declares Slome.  "Most people wait too long to consider their options because the right time to plan is prior to turning age 65."

For more information on long term care insurance, visit the Association's Consumer Information center that can be accessed at http://www.aaltci.org/long-term-care-insurance/.

Smoking And Weight Tied To Future Brain Shrinkage, Increased Long Term Care Insurance Need

Smoking, having high blood pressure or diabetes and being overweight during your middle years may cause brain shrinkage and lead to cognitive problems up to a decade later.

According to a new study published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology these factors appear to cause the brain to lose volume.  Some 38.7 million Americans age 65 and older reported having one or more cognitive disorders according to the 2011 Long-Term Care Insurance Almanac published by the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance.

Health conditions increased the development of lesions secondary to presumed vascular injury, and also appeared to affect its ability to plan and make decisions as quickly as 10 years later.  The findings provide evidence that identifying these risk factors early in people of middle age could be useful in screening people for at-risk dementia and encouraging people to make changes to their lifestyle before it's too late.

The study involved over 1,300 people without dementia with an average age of 54.  Participants had body mass and waist circumference measures taken and were given blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes tests. They also underwent brain MRI scans over the span of a decade, the first starting about seven years after the initial risk factor exam. Participants with stroke and dementia at baseline were excluded, and between the first and last MRI exams, 19 people had a stroke and two developed dementia.

Researchers found that people with high blood pressure developed small areas of vascular brain damage, at a faster rate than those with normal blood pressure readings.  They also had a more rapid worsening of scores on tests of executive function, or planning and decision making, corresponding to five and eight years of chronological aging respectively.

People with diabetes in middle age lost brain volume in the hippocampus at a faster rate than those without diabetes. Smokers lost brain volume overall at a faster rate than nonsmokers and were also more likely to have a rapid increase in white matter hyperintensities.

"Unhealthy habits come back to haunt millions at older ages," explains Jesse Slome, executive director of the long term care insurance association.  "It creates an increased risk of needing long term care in your 80s and 90s a reason why planning prior to retirement is a must especially for those still in good health."