Long-term services and supports (LTSS) help provide the support needed to ensure older adults can live healthy, secure, and independent lives. The assistance incorporated under long term services and supports consists of a comprehensive spectrum of personal care, and paid or unpaid medical aid, which might be needed for extended periods of time. Long-term services and supports encompass nursing facility care, home health aide services, transportation, and adult day care programs, among other services. As a person ages, it becomes more difficult to manage daily tasks independently such as fixing meals, bathing, getting dressed, or managing their own home. It is necessary that support is provided to older adults who need assistance completing daily tasks. Unfortunately, not everyone in need of long-term services and supports has access to such assistance. Hispanic older adults for example face numerous difficulties in their attempts to access long term care. Limited access to long term care is very detrimental to the Hispanic older adult population as approximately 34% of them experience difficulty completing one or more daily tasks. Due to financial obstacles, only one in five Hispanics over the age of 40 are confident that they will have sufficient financial resources to pay for long term services and supports. Although Medicare does help cover some medical costs, the government health care program does not pay for the high costs of long-term services and supports and personal care. This ultimately means that Hispanic older adults will have to pay out of pocket for any needed ongoing treatment. This is one of the issues the White House Conference on Aging will discuss on July 13th in hopes to better understand the predicaments older Americans face and discuss what solutions could be implemented to reduce such hardships.
