Most long-term care involves helping people with basic personal needs rather than providing medical care.
Needs for long-term care are measured by looking at whether an individual needs help with six basic activities that most people do every day without help, says a story on elderlawanswers.com.
These include bathing, dressing, eating, moving from bed to a wheelchair and back, toileting and continence (the ability to control one’s bladder.) These are called Activities of Daily Living.
Other activities are important to independent living but not necessarily needed on a daily basis. These include things like using a telephone, managing medications, fixing meals, housekeeping, shopping for food and caring for pets. These are called instrumental Activities of Daily Living.
These items are scored by long-term care providers when determining whether assistance is needed or if the person is eligible for long-term care insurance will begin paying or whether the person qualifies for Medi-Cal.
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