Myth #8  -  "My clients don't need Long-Term Care Planning because family will care for them"

Fact:  Family may be the first thought when care is needed — but that doesn’t make it a plan.  While most care in the U.S. begins with family members - spouses, daughters, sons, and siblings - they step in because they love someone, not because they’re trained, financially prepared, or physically able to do it for months or years.

Love makes them willing. It doesn’t make them ready.  From here, the rest of the myth can continue as we drafted — asking hard questions, showing the emotional and financial burden, and ending with:

Planning doesn’t replace family — it protects them.  A Long-Term Care plan allows family to remain family, not full-time caregivers, as it helps their loved ones:

✔ Support your independence longer
✔ Bring in professional help when needed
✔ Focus on being present — not overwhelmed

Hard but necessary questions:

• Would you really want your spouse or daughter to lift and bathe you every day?

• Would you trust a family member to handle medications, dementia, or emergencies?

• Could they physically and emotionally do it? For how long?

• Is caregiving what you actually want for each other?

The impact of relying on family alone:

• Strained marriages and sibling conflicts
• Careers paused or ended
• Retirement funds drained
• Physical injury and emotional burnout
• Parents feel like a burden to their own children

The reality is that Long-Term Care Planning allows loved ones to maintain independence longer without sacrificing comfort or having to feel like a burden to others.