The Times/KFF Health News data analysis was based on the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative longitudinal survey of about 20,000 people over age 50. The analysis defined people ages 65 and above as likely to need long-term care if they were assessed to have dementia, or if they reported having difficulty with two or more out of six activities of daily living. The analysis’ definition of needing long-term care assistance is conservative and is in line with criteria most long-term care insurers use in determining whether they will pay for services. The analysis was developed in consultation with Norma Coe, an associate professor of medical ethics and health policy at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The financial toll on middle-class and upper-income people needing long-term care was examined by reviewing data that the H.R.S.

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Persons: Norma Coe Organizations: KFF Health, Health, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania