INTERVIEW WITH CORY FOSCO, AUTHOR OF “QUESTION OF WHEN” ON HOW TO NAVIGATE LONG TERM CARE COMMUNITIES, CHOICES AND COSTS

Welcome to our August episode of “Caregiving Club On Air” podcast. On this episode we are highlighting the upcoming September 13-19 National Assisted Living Week with our expert guest, Cory Fosco, author of “The Question of When – A Practical Guide To Knowing When It’s Time For Assisted Living, Memory Care or Skilled Nursing.”

Sherri discusses the following topics with Cory that help family caregivers to prepare to care and also what information they need from those important family conversations around long-term-care plans.

Key Takeaways

• Many Americans unfortunately believe that Medicare will cover long-term care costs for assisted living for nursing home – also known as skilled nursing facility. Let’s review what Medicare does and does not cover. Also, people confuse Medicare and Medicaid so Cory provides a detailed overview of how both programs work and what families need to know.

• Maybe even more important than choices in long-term-care communities is the cost – Cory and Sherri discuss the difference in costs for various senior living options and also provide some great resources to help you research costs.

• Cory reviews a checklist of questions family caregivers should ask their older loved one and also the long-term-care community administrators to help make informed choices.

• The fragmentation and numerous data points families need to make the best choice in long-term care services and communities means not waiting for the crisis when there is no time to plan ahead and especially to save the amount of money needed. It is critical to have the conversation sooner rather than later – Sherri and Cory discuss why this is important for the financial wellness of family caregivers.

• Cory warns that sometime the decision for an older loved one to move into senior living is about the health of the caregiver. Suffering from burnout and health issues of trying to keep your loved one at home with no help can be another reason families need to know the scope of senior care when making these important decisions.

FAQs about long-term care and senior living:

Q:         How many Americans are living in an independent living, assisted living, memory care or skilled nursing facility?

A:          Between 2-3 million older adults live in some type of senior living or long-term care community, 1 million are in more than 41,000 assisted living communities according to AHCA (American Health Care Association)/NCAL (National Center for Assisted Living)

Q:         What is the average cost of long-term care living situations?

A:          While some cost information can be found on the AHCA/NCAL website, another great resource to help families plan ahead for long-term care costs is the Genworth/Care Scout Cost of Care Survey. The most recent national average cost in 2025 was:

• Home care (non-medical help) = $80,080
• Assisted living = $74.400
• Nursing Home (private room) = $129, 575

This site is updated annually every spring and breaks down costs for: adult day care, home health or personal care, assisted living, nursing homes by daily, monthly or annual costs. It also provides a national cost average but also a state-by-state look at costs which can vary widely nationwide.

Q:         Are there experts I can hire or find to help review all the choices and costs involved in making decisions about senior living and long-term care communities?

A:          Yes although many family caregivers do not know they exist. For in-person help, contact a Professional Geriatric Care Manager (PCGM or GCM). Typically, this is a social worker with specific credentialing in senior care. They are local and can guide you on costs, what to know, what to ask and how to determine the best choice for your older loved one. Find them at: Aging Life Care Association.

Some employers also offer access to a senior care expert or GCM through your employee benefits.

Q:         Are there ratings or rankings of the best assisted living or senior living communities I can review?

A:          There are several sources that provide these rankings for free:

• CMS Care Compare – this is the 5-star rankings from the government on best nursing homes
• US News and World Report – best senior living including memory care communities that many other resources do not include
• Caring.com and A Place for Mom – these sites are free resources for family caregivers. However, be aware that their rankings and recommendations are based on advertising revenues so you may not get the unbiased recommendation you would get from hiring a GCM to help guide you.

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RESOURCE LINKS

Cory Fosco

“The Question of When – A Practical Guide To Knowing When It’s Time For Assisted Living, Memory Care or Skilled Nursing.”

“Elder Care Locator – eldercare.gov or call 1-800-677-1116 (help finding local resources)

For Caregiver Self-Care and Sherri’s Me Time Monday book:

“Self-Care in 7 Minutes” Wellness Hack Video Series

Click here to find out where to buy Sherri’s Me Time Monday book and learn more about the workshops

Sherri’s Me Time Monday book GoodReads page

Sherri’s articles related to this episode

Caregiver Wellness

Finding Happiness As a Caregiver (Forbes)

Happiness article (Spanish translation for Univision)

Lessons From The World’s Longest Study On Happiness (PBS Next Avenue)

9 Ways Caregivers Can Get a Free Respite Break (PBS Next Avenue)

How Mondays Can Help Caregivers to Overcome Loneliness and Improve Health (Epoch Times)

How family caregivers can use a Monday routine to reset self-care (Considerable)

Senior Living and Costs of LTC

New Trends in Retirement Living (PBS Next Avenue)

What Suze Orman Learned Caring for Her Mother (Forbes)

The Coming Wave of Nursing Home Closings (PBS Next Avenue)

Why Caregivers Need to Plan for the Worst – Emergency Preparedness (PBS Next Avenue)