Wall St. Journal – Weekend Journal – “Your New Neighbor: Mom”, p. W1

One of the core tenets of most long-term care insurance seminars is that we live in a mobile society which means most families don’t live in the same area. This social pattern is one of several factors that has caused a growing shortage of caregivers for long-term care patients. This article reports a reverse trend by citing the most recent Census statistic that “the number of households with three generations under one roof has doubled in the past 20 years”. This is due to people incorporating “granny flats” or in-law apartments for aging family members, coupled with the number of young adults moving back home is up 6%. After being away from home 30 years, the article points out, memories of family closeness tend to be fond.

DO NOT BE DECEIVED BY THIS TREND. The warm family togetherness glow may pale quickly, especially as dysfunctional families reunite. These families will want and need long-tern care insurance more than ever before if these new living arrangements are to work. Togetherness is best enjoyed with regular periods of time off, and long-term care insurance can pay for those periods, thereby saving the sanity and health of the primary caregiver. www.WSJ.com