CLTC Marks Long-Term Care Awareness Month With Video Series Highlighting the Real Cost of Long-Term Care
New survey finds 1 in 10 adults understands the realities of long-term care
DURHAM, N.C., Nov. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As the nation recognizes Long-Term Care Awareness Month Certification for Long-Term Care (CLTC) is releasing a video series, "When Life Has Other Plans: Real Stories About Long-Term Care," highlighting when families encounter long-term care needs without adequate planning.
The firsthand stories show how a stroke, dementia diagnosis, or another health event can affect more than the care recipient. Families can find themselves confronting major financial decisions, changing living arrangements, and caregiving responsibilities they never anticipated, and for which they're typically ill prepared.
The series comes as new research from the Leading Age LTSS Center @UMass Boston underscores a significant knowledge gap around long-term care.
- A survey of 1,200 Californians age 50+ found only 10% understood both their likelihood of needing long-term care and how they would pay for it;
- Only 48% said they were "likely" or "very likely" to need long-term care either at home or in a care facility;
- 43% believed Medicare or a supplemental plan would pay for it;
- Just 18% correctly understood that long-term care is largely paid for by individuals from their own financial resources.
"Too often, families don't confront these questions until a health crisis forces them to," said CLTC Executive Director Amber Pate. "The research shows we still have a significant knowledge gap about the likelihood of needing long-term care and how people will pay for it. Better information can help families have these conversations earlier, while they still have more choices."
Real Stories Behind the Numbers
CLTC's new video series puts a human face on those findings through stories from long-term care professionals who have witnessed the consequences of inadequate planning.
- Carolyn shares the story of a married couple who planned to remain at home and care for one another, until both simultaneously developed serious health problems. With their son living far away, a family friend stepped in to oversee their care, including seven moves as their needs increased and their $325,000 nest egg rapidly declined. "Hope is not a plan," Carolyn says.
- Kevin recounts the experience of a client who believed $1.5 million in invested assets meant he could self-fund future care. After developing dementia, his care cost ~$15,000 a month, putting significant pressure on the family's retirement assets.
- Mike describes the turmoil in his family after his grandmother's long-term care coverage was exhausted. Relatives had to decide who would provide care, where additional money would come from, and how responsibilities would be divided.
- Chuck tells the story of a couple who believed Medicare would cover their long-term care needs. After the husband suffered a stroke, they discovered Medicare didn't provide the ongoing coverage they expected and that other financial resources carried consequences they hadn't anticipated.
"These stories show why long-term care planning is about much more than protecting assets," Pate said. "It's about protecting families from having to make enormously difficult financial and caregiving decisions in the middle of a crisis. Planning ahead can give people more control over where and how they receive care and reduce the burden placed on the people they love."
About CLTC
The CLTC® (Certification in Long-Term Care) program was created in 1999 and focuses on the discipline of extended care planning. CLTC provides financial professionals with the tools to discuss longevity and its potential consequences for clients and their families and to develop strategies to protect clients' independence, finances and families when long-term care is needed.
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