Older Americans often don't prepare for long-term care, from costs to location to emotional toll

Many Americans are unprepared for what can be an emotional, costly and guilt-inducing process of finding long-term care for a loved one. Advance planning can help. But an AP-NORC poll in 2021 found most Americans don’t discuss the possibility of long-term care, let alone prepare for it. Finding the right long-term care option may come down to which facility has an opening and can accommodate a particular person’s needs. Nationally, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services maintains a five-star quality rating system that takes health inspections, staffing and quality measures into account.