Short answer: Long-term care is help with everyday personal tasks, like bathing, dressing, eating, and managing medications, rather than medical treatment. It is common: about 60% of people will need it at some point.
Long-term care is not the same as the medical care your health plan usually covers. Most long-term care is not medical care, but rather assistance with the basic personal tasks of everyday life, often needed because of aging, a chronic illness, or a disability. Need is measured by “activities of daily living” (ADLs) such as bathing, dressing, using the toilet, transferring, and eating, and “instrumental activities of daily living” (IADLs) such as housework, shopping, and managing money and medications.
Because the need is so widespread, planning ahead matters. Understanding what counts as long-term care helps you see what your health insurance and Medicare will and will not pay for, and why many people weigh separate long-term care insurance or other private options.