Women are at a higher risk than men. These statistics are just for nursing facility care. The majority of people receive care at home. The Risk of Nursing Home Use in Later Life , Medical Care , October 1990. 2 P. Kemper and C.M. Murtaugh, Lifetime Use of Nursing Home Care , The New England Journal of Medicine , February 28, 1991.
Home Care can be just as expensive , depending on the frequency and type of services required.
Many people assume Medicare will pay for their long-term care expenses. In fact, Medicare covers only a small portion of the country's nursing facility bill. 3 Medicare will pay only when certain conditions are met, and even then, only for an average of 20 days and never more than 100 days. The majority of home care is still provided by friends and family. MediCARE covers a very small portion of nursing facility costs.