Got Long-Term Care Insurance? You Can Live Out Your Days In A Posh Assisted Living Resort!

Two of Thomas Mann’s novels, both written on the eve of the First World War, are set in popular destinations for people seeking to improve their health.  One of them is set in a modestly priced city on the Italian coast, where the warm climate attracts visitors from colder parts of Europe; the main characters are a retired professor from Germany and a Polish family that is staying at the resort because they believe that it will benefit the health of their youngest son, who has tuberculosis.  By the time the book ends, a plague has descended on the city, and the main characters are dead or dying.  The other takes place in a mountain resort in the Swiss Alps.  The guests are wealthy, and they spend their days gossiping and flirting.  Some of them stay for years after their symptoms disappear; the protagonist arrives to visit his cousin, but because the former has a cold, the doctors advise him to stay, and when he leaves, seven years later, he is healthy enough to enlist in the army and fight in the war.  The first book goes by the on-the-nose title of Death in Venice, and the latter, by the euphemistic Magic Mountain.  In some ways, your retirement plan simply reflects how much euphemism and distraction you require surrounding the issues of old age and fragile health.  There is no single right answer to this question, but a Hillsborough County estate planning lawyer will help you achieve your retirement goals, whatever they may be.

Granny Pods Aren’t for Everyone

If you have been waffling about whether to prepare for aging in place or for a move to an assisted living facility, your reaction to a recent article in the New York Times should help reveal your true feelings to you.  It is about the most luxurious assisted living facilities (or “senior living communities” as they prefer to be called) that money or long-term care insurance can buy.  These charge upwards of $8,000 per month for a studio apartment, more than twice the price of a more spacious apartment at most assisted living facilities in the United States.  The care staff provide similar services to those available at other assisted living facilities, such as helping residents with errands, laundry, and dressing.  It’s the atmosphere that is different.

The surroundings are gorgeous.  There are master classes by superstars in their field, whether it be writing, music, or any other retirement hobby you might have chosen to take up.  Life coaches are available.  If all of this sounds wasteful and over-the-top to you, then maybe you already know more about your estate plan than you think you do.  Maybe the retirement community or assisted living facility right here in Hillsborough County is starting to look better, or maybe you really can’t bear to leave the house where your first grandchild celebrated his first Christmas.  How and where to spend your retirement is a personal choice, and your lawyer can help you stay in a strong financial position while living in the accommodations you choose.

Reach Out to an Attorney for Help

A Tampa estate planning lawyer can help you create a realistic retirement plan that considers your finances and state of health.  Contact David Toback for help with your case.

Source:

nytimes.com/2021/11/27/style/growing-old-in-high-style.html