My siblings and I would like to purchase a long term care policy for my Mom and pay for it. How do we talk with her about it?

Just have a family get together and discuss your plans. I am not sure if you can purchase long term if she is over 65. She should welcome that her family cares enough to go ahead and make plans now. Good luck!

Not all Long Term Care policies are scams. The one that my mother had paid about 80% of the cost of her being in a nursing home for 4 1/2 years. She received much more back in benefits than she had paid in premiums. She wisely chose a rider that exempted her from paying premiums once she was in the nursing home. The company was S.H.I.P.

My step-mother received help from the same company and my dad is receiving help currently.

Yes we can purchase insurance with her, she's only 73 and she's healthy. We just want to be really prepared.

Better if you own it and she is the beneficiary. That way if dementia sets in, she cannot try to cash it in. Protect her. See an Elder Law attorney. Premiums may be quite high, and coverage is not immediate.

I have found them all to be a scam. Mother has been in the NH 18 months and hers has not paid a cent.

Check for complaints against that company. abc7news/archive/8548374/

All I know is that Mother has Mutual Of Omaha and they continue to put off making any payments. They always need something else, even though the nursing home is dealing with them.

One of the siblings will need to be your mother's durable POA so that you can be her representative to the long term insurance company and apply for the benefits for her. If I remember correctly, my mother mentioned me in her long term care insurance policy as her representative. When it comes time for this, you will need a statement from a doctor saying that she can't do several things for herself which the policy will list. They will want a copy of the POA and the license of the nursing home. Then, you will be mailing or faxing to them a copy of the nursing home bill that you pay, but then they send you money which covers part of the cost. Unlike my step-mother and dad, my mother never used the rider about having home health care which she had a rider for also.

Chicago, I'm sorry for your sorry experience with your mother's long term care insurance policy. There should be somewhere that such behavior is reported so that the company is held accountable.

Chicago, somehow my situation did not face the obstacles that the couple in that news report faced. I feel sorry for them and others like them. I don't know why, but my mother, step-mother had a different experience as is my dad. I hope your company will finally come through for your mother.

This is done more often than you think. Most companies stop offering policies after age 75 (2 do go to 80) but your mom will have to meet health qualifications. Costs can vary quite significantly from one carrier to another and so the American Association for Long Term Care recommends working with a professional who is "appointed" with multiple companies. Appointed is insurance industry jargon which means they can actually sell the policy. If they only are appointed with one insurer -- guess which one they'll push. The Association has some consumer guides worth reading and there's no sign-in required to access them at www.aaltci.org/guides Hope that helps.

Dennis, you are smart to take care of payments for her. In my Mom's case she purchased a policy some years ago. When she started to develop Alzheimer's she either decided to stop paying or FORGOT! She had paid into it for many years. And now Medicaid will allow retaining assets up to the value of the policy. So the face value is actually double what is stated. If the policy pays out $200,000 the actual value because of the ability to retain assets is $400,000. Found this out at a Senior Law Fair that was put on by the State Bar Association a few weeks ago. If there is a similar fair in your area I highly recommend it!