Genworth 2013 Annual Cost of Care Survey: At Home Care Costs Up in Alabama

RICHMOND, Va., April 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- In its 10th year, the Genworth (NYSE:GNW) 2013 Cost of Care Survey shows the cost to receive care at home in Alabama through a home health aide increased over the past five years. On a national level, the survey shows a dramatic increase in facility based care such as an assisted living facility or nursing home, while the cost to receive care at home through homemaker services or a home health aide is rising at a much more gradual pace. 

"There are many factors that go into rising care costs, from the number of available skilled professionals to real estate prices," said Pat Foley, president of distribution and marketing for Genworth.  "If you look at national private nursing home costs over the past 10 years that we've done this study, the median annual costs have gone up from $65,200 to $83,950, increasing at more than four percent a year.  But since 70% of Genworth's first time long term care claimants choose in-home care, these costs have remained more manageable.[1]"

Nationally, the 2013 median hourly cost of homemaker services and home health aide services is $18 and $19 respectively. Homemaker costs nationally have risen just 0.8 percent annually over the past five years and home health aide services have risen 1.0 percent annually over the past five years. In Alabama, the median hourly cost of homemaker services is $16 and the median hourly cost of home health aide services is $16. The median hourly cost for homemaker services in Alabama has increased 2.0 percent annually over the past five years and the hourly cost of home health aide services has increased 2.0 percent over the same period of time.

By comparison, the median annual cost for care in an assisted living facility is $41,400 nationally and $31,200 in Alabama. The national yearly cost of assisted living has increased 4.3 percent a year over the past five years and increased 1.4 percent over the same time period in Alabama. The comparable cost for a private nursing home room rose 4.5 percent annualized over the past five years to $83,950 nationally, and increased 4.2 percent over the past five years to $69,543 in Alabama.

Bob Bua, vice president of Genworth and business leader of its wholly owned subsidiary, CareScout, explains, "Since we first did this study, we have seen a steady move away from traditional nursing home care to less expensive options that include in-home care, assisted care facilities and adult day care.  In addition to being the kind of care most people prefer to receive, the difference in the relative cost of these services versus private residential nursing care can be dramatic."

"We have never met a person who did not prefer to have care in their own home," said Roger Baumgart, chief executive officer, Home Instead Senior Care, one of the nation's leading providers of home care services for seniors. "It's encouraging to see that home care costs have grown more slowly compared to full service residential long term care expenses. The vast majority of Americans want to age in their own homes, but sometimes there are physical or cognitive issues that can make that difficult.  Every day, we see the emotional and financial challenges that seniors and their caregivers and families face in making decisions about care.  Genworth's Cost of Care survey provides a wealth of data to help families work through the costs and begin the planning process for how they will care for their loved ones," said Baumgart.

Regardless of the kind of care a person might receive, it remains critically important to make a plan.  Wendy Boglioli, Genworth's national spokesperson, offers several tips on beginning the planning process:

• "First, close the Care Knowledge Gap. The more a person knows about the cost and impact of long term care choices, the more apparent it will become to start planning today.
• Second, Build a Team.  Just as a football head coach surrounds himself with savvy coordinators who are tasked with specific coaching duties, consumers should bring in outside professionals to fill in the long term care gaps.
• Third, Put It In Writing. It isn't just identifying where the money is coming from. The plan should include a hardcopy and an electronic version of who your team is, their roles and contact information." 

Additional Resources

• Consumers can find out what the cost of care is in 437 regions across all 50 states, including 12 in Alabama by visiting Genworth's Cost of Care website.
• Genworth's Let's Talk website offers tips for initiating conversations about long term care and financial planning with loved ones.
• Join Genworth's national spokesperson and Olympic Gold Medalist, Wendy Boglioli, for discussions on being Financially Sound, Physically Strong at AskWendyB.
• On Genworth Celebrates Caregivers Facebook page, caregivers can have their questions about caregiving challenges answered by a professional care advocate.
• Genworth's Caregiver Support Resource helps families make informed choices about long term care.

About Genworth's 2013 Cost of Care Survey

Genworth's Cost of Care Survey is the most comprehensive study of its kind, covering nearly 15,000 long term care providers nationwide. The survey includes 437 regions which cover all Metropolitan Statistical Areas defined for the 2010 U.S. Census. Genworth annually surveys the cost of long term care across the U.S. to help Americans plan for the potential costs associated with the various types of long term care available in their preferred location and setting. CareScout^®, part of the Genworth Financial family of companies, has conducted the survey since 2004. Located in Waltham, Massachusetts, CareScout has specialized in helping families find long term care providers nationwide since 1997. Genworth's 2013 Cost of Care Survey was conducted during January and February 2013.

About Genworth Financial

Genworth Financial, Inc. (NYSE: GNW) is a leading Fortune 500 insurance holding company dedicated to helping people secure their financial lives, families and futures.  Genworth has leadership positions in offerings that assist consumers in protecting themselves, investing for the future and planning for retirement -- including life insurance, long term care insurance, financial protection coverages, and independent advisor-based wealth management -- and mortgage insurance that helps consumers achieve home ownership while assisting lenders in managing their risk and capital.

Genworth has approximately 6,300 employees and operates through three divisions: U.S. Life Insurance, which includes life insurance, long term care insurance and fixed annuities; Global Mortgage Insurance, containing U.S. Mortgage Insurance and International Mortgage Insurance segments; and the Corporate and Other division, which includes the International Protection, Wealth Management and Runoff segments. Products and services are offered through financial intermediaries, advisors, independent distributors and sales specialists. Genworth Financial, Inc., headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, traces its roots back to 1871 and became a public company in 2004.  For more information, visit genworth.com.  From time to time, Genworth Financial, Inc. releases important information via postings on its corporate website. Accordingly, investors and other interested parties are encouraged to enroll to receive automatic email alerts and Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds regarding new postings. Enrollment information is found under the "Investors" section of genworth.com.

[1] Long Term Care Claims Experience Data for Genworth Life Insurance Company and affiliates – December 1974 through June 30, 2012

SOURCE Genworth Financial, Inc.

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