Elder law attorneys are becoming increasingly concerned about the high cost of long-term care.
If you wanted to spend a year in a private room in a nursing home in Connecticut it would set you back over $100,000 on average. And of course, people sometimes stay longer than a year.
Assisted living communities are also extraordinarily expensive. The average cost for a year-long stay in an assisted living facility in Connecticut is well in excess of $40,000.
As high as these numbers are, it is useful to point out the fact that they have been rising at a rate of about 5% per year. If this continues and you need long-term care in perhaps 20 years we can only imagine what the cost will be.
Because of the high prices a lot of people look for alternatives, making in-home care a popular choice.
You might think that private agencies that send out caregivers are very stringent with their hiring standards. Unfortunately, a recent study conducted at Northwestern University tells a different tale.
Researchers posed as family members of seniors who were looking for in-home care. They contacted 180 different facilities and asked them questions about their hiring practices.
It turns out that only 15% of these agencies gave caregivers any training at all. A little more than half of them ran criminal background checks, but none of them ran checks outside of the state within which the business was being operated. And, only around 33% of them drug tested their employees.
When you hear these statistics it certainly causes you to take pause. You can’t trust just anyone to take care of you or someone you love. Take this research as a warning. Be vigilant and ask questions when you are looking for in-home care.
Mr. Horowitz was awarded his Juris Doctor degree with honors from the University of Connecticut School of Law. While attending law school, Mr. Horowitz received the American Jurisprudence Award in Legal Ethics and the Nathan Burkan Award.
After graduation from law school, Mr. Horowitz continued his legal education at New York University School of Law where he received a Post Doctorate Law Degree in Taxation. He has also recently received a national achievement award.
Mr. Horowitz is admitted to practice before all the state courts in the State of Connecticut and the United States District Court.
Mr. Horowitz was selected for Super Lawyers in 2021.
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