FUTURE LONG-TERM CARE NEEDS FOR US ADULTS: PERCEPTIONS AND PLANNING FROM A NATIONAL SURVEY

Sep 29, 2026

Study examines how U.S. adults age-related to plan for future long-term care needs, drawing on a nationally representative survey of community-dwelling adults aged 50 and older (N=3,486). Participants reported perceived need for long-term care services, knowledge of long-term care payors, and engagement in planning. Results show 42.6% anticipated likely future need, yet 50.9%–62.3% lacked confidence in affordability. Many misconceptions existed, including incorrect Medicare coverage beliefs, limited planning activity, and few appointments or caregiver identification. Findings support educating and supporting older adults in planning for long-term care.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Study purpose and design

Survey measures and participant focus

Key findings on perceived need and affordability

Perceived future need

Affordability confidence

Payor knowledge and misconceptions

Care planning behaviors

Durable power of attorney for healthcare

Identifying future caregivers

Implications and recommendations

792 Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 Abstract citation ID: igaf122.2689 FUTURE LONG-TERM CARE NEEDS FOR US ADULTS: PERCEPTIONS AND PLANNING FROM A NATIONAL SURVEY Ana Montoya1, Erica Solway1, Matthias Kirch1, Dianne Singer1, Sydney Strunk1, J. Scott Roberts2, Jeffrey Kullgren1, and Julie Bynum1, 1. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States, 2. University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States Many older adults require assistance with activities of daily living as they age. Assistance can be provided as long-term care services in the home, an assisted living facility, or a nursing home. This study aimed to understand US adults’ perceptions of and planning for future long-term care needs, using a nationally representative survey [of U.S. community-dwelling](of U.S. community-dwelling) adults aged 50 and older (N = 3,486) . Respondents were asked about their perceived future need for long-term care services, knowledge about long-term care payors, and engagement in long-term care planning. Survey findings indicated that 42.6% reported they were likely to require long-term care in the future. However, over half were not confident that they would be able to afford to pay for long-term care services (50.9% home care, 57.7% assisted living, 62.3% nursing home care) . Additionally, 61.6% incorrectly thought Medicare would cover the cost of their long-term care in a nursing home. Another 29.4% indicated Medicaid would pay for it, and nearly half (49.6%) indicated they would pay for it from their own financial resources. Half (50.1%) of respondents indicated they had not undertaken the usual steps for long-term care planning; only 27.2% reported having appointed a durable power of attorney for healthcare, and 23.7% had identified potential future caregivers. Most adults indicated they Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 793 could not afford long-term care services if needed, and half of them have not taken steps to plan for such care. Educating and supporting aging US adults in planning is necessary to prepare for their future long-term care needs.

FAQs

What was the goal of the study on long-term care?

The study aimed to understand U.S. adults’ perceptions of and planning for future long-term care needs, including perceived need, knowledge about payors, and involvement in planning.

How many respondents reported expecting a future need for long-term care services?

42.6% reported they were likely to require long-term care in the future.

What did the survey find about affordability confidence and planning actions?

Over half were not confident they could afford long-term care services, and about half had not undertaken typical long-term care planning steps, with relatively low rates of appointing a durable power of attorney for healthcare and identifying potential future caregivers.

Sep 29, 2026

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