what about a consultation with a financial planner. it may cost some money but might be well spent for the future and your peace of mind.

It is my understanding that once you have a diagnosis like MS if you could find a company willing to give you long term care insurance it would be cost prohibitive...that said I haven't been able to find one willing to give it to me, even through employers.

I do have 2 small modified plans that cover respite care in a nursing home for like 3 weeks a month or something silly but I figured it would be better than nothing.

DH and I also have decent assets so unless we have to go into long term care we will be fine. If we have to go into long term care I guess we will just use our assets to finance what we can cover and apply for Medicaid when we are broke, right?

I'm not big on trying to hide my money, for what?, I worked for it and although I'd much rather spend it on vacations and cheap thrills if I have to pay someone to bathe me I guess that's where the money will go.

I came across some interesting info on long term care costs. It was on AARP's site:
http://www.aarp.org/relationships/ca...nter/LTCC.html

You can plug in your own area for estimated costs for your area. I'm in Georgia so this is what it estimates for me:

Nursing Home (Private Room) for 5 years
2014 cost: $ 69,350
2018 cost: $ 81,130
Total cost for 5 years: $ 375,622

Nursing Home (Semi-Private) for 5 years
2014 cost: $ 67,525
2018 cost: $ 85,249
Total cost for 5 years: $ 380,645

Home Health Aid 40 Hr(s)/Week
2014 cost: $ 36,400
2015 cost: $ 36,764

Nursing Home (Private Room) 10 Years
2014 cost: $ 69,350
2023 cost: $ 98,707
Total cost for 10 years: $ 832,624

Nursing Home (Semi-Private) 10 Years
2014 cost: $ 67,525
2023 cost: $ 114,082
Total cost for all 10 years: $ 890,033

* Home Health Aid does not include: groceries, heating, electricity, cable, water, telephone, insurance, medical needs, transportation

Karen

I don't want to think about it...

Thanks Karen, that is awful. I would have to arrange to die somewhere within that 5 years. Between both my husband and me we don't have that in all our retirement accounts. Of course we have our pensions and social security but I'm not sure how secure the former is.

I hear ya but think it is so important that everyone, MS or not, consider these facts and make plans that we can be comfortable with.

Why can't they just put us down, as our choice, at our time to go?
Don't we deserve the same humanity as do our fur babies? The plan is,
I move in with DD and go to hospital if needed and then hospice and out.

I agree 100% and part of my strategy is to refuse all treatment, except pain meds, which should at least hasten my death.

Yes, I'm not afraid of death, when it's my time.
It's the dying I'm afraid of.

Lol, SalPal that is what my Mom always says. "I'm not afraid of dying but I am afraid of how I might die."