Lincoln Financial Group Supports Long-Term Care Awareness Month

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 9, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- To help raise public awareness of the need for long-term care expense planning, Lincoln Financial Group is supporting Long-Term Care Awareness Month for the month of November.

"We're committed to raising awareness and helping educate Americans about the importance of planning for potential long-term care expenses – a basic requirement of any financial plan," said Mark Konen, President, Insurance & Retirement Solutions. "Lincoln wants to ensure families have access to the financial protection they need to help them handle a long-term care event and its subsequent expenses."

Approximately 70% of Americans currently age 65 or older will need some type of long-term care.(1) Additionally, the financial hardship can be extreme on a family that needs to put loved ones in a nursing home, assisted living facility or to get the necessary home health care help. Consider the national average costs of long-term care in 2010(2):

• Assisted living costs: $3,369 per month, or $40,428 per year
• Nursing home, semiprivate room: $195 per day, or $71,175 per year
• Private room: $216 per day, or $78,840 per year
• Home health aide: $20.27 per hour

Families usually consider nursing homes or assisted living residences once the need for personal care and supervision becomes more than can be provided at home. However, at this point, family caregivers may already be physically, emotionally, and financially drained by providing constant care and supervision for a loved one with a debilitating disease. Additionally, many caregiver families put their own retirement savings on hold in an attempt to cover expenses for the loved one.

"Financial advisors can help each family's generation prepare for a solid financial future," said Michael Burns, Senior Vice President, Individual Life Product Management. "Understanding the risks of long-term care expenses and learning about funding solutions are vital. Planning ahead can help protect wealth, retirement security, and estate assets from the potential risk of exposure to long-term care costs."

"Linked benefit offerings can provide a powerful way to maximize assets and help people accomplish more with their existing resources," added Konen. "Financial advisors can assist families with planning for long-term care expenses as an integral part of an overall plan of financial protection with solutions like Lincoln MoneyGuard® Reserve."

Advisors can share their knowledge about long-term care with their clients by sending them to Lincoln Financial's site, MyConfidentFuture.com. The long-term care pages on this website help clients see why preparing for long-term care is an important component of their overall financial strategy. This powerful business tool helps advisors and their clients:

• Learn about long-term care statistics, information and causes
• Compare the costs of caregiving around the U.S.
• Calculate future long-term care costs
• See the current issues surrounding long-term care

Advisors can logon to MyConfidentFuture.com/longtermcare during client meetings or forward a link to clients and schedule a meeting.

(1) DHHS, 2008. Statistics taken from www.longtermcare.gov. Administration on Aging: 202 619-0724.

(2) LifePlans Long-Term Care Market Summary: Cost of Care Update 2010; www.LincolnFinancial.com; Research and Analysis; October 1, 2010.  For a printed copy of the report, call 877-ASK-LINCOLN.

Lincoln MoneyGuard® Reserve universal life insurance policies are issued by The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company, Fort Wayne, IN, on Policy Form LN850 (8/05). The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company does not solicit business in the state of New York, nor is it authorized to do so. Contractual obligations are backed by the claims-paying ability of The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company.

Policies sold in New York are issued by Lincoln Life & Annuity Company of New York, Syracuse, NY, on Policy Form LN850 (8/05). Contractual obligations are backed by the claims-paying ability of Lincoln Life & Annuity Company of New York. Products and features, including benefits, exclusions, limitations, terms, and definitions, may vary by state.

About Lincoln Financial Group

Lincoln Financial Group is the marketing name for Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE: LNC) and its affiliates. With headquarters in the Philadelphia region, the companies of Lincoln Financial Group had assets under management of $140 billion as of June 30, 2010. Through its affiliated companies (The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company, Fort Wayne, IN and Lincoln Life & Annuity Company of New York, Syracuse, New York), Lincoln Financial Group offers: annuities; life, group life and disability insurance; 401(k) and 403(b) plans; savings plans; and comprehensive financial planning and advisory services. For more information, including a copy of our most recent SEC reports containing our balance sheets, please visit www.LincolnFinancial.com.

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SOURCE Lincoln Financial Group