HEALTHY LIVING
Minnesota Senior LinkAge Line. The statewide service connects seniors to local resources, including long-term care facilities. Finding the right long-term
care option, in many cases, comes down to who has an open slot and can accommodate a particular person’s needs. As Braun found out, not many places would take her husband because of his complex behavioral condition. Data at the state and federal
levels can guide families toward one facility over another. Minnesota’s nursing home report-card system, for example, lists star ratings searchable by location. Want to know how the last state inspection went? What families said in recent surveys? How many single-bed rooms a facility has? Check the report cards. Nationally, the Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services maintain a five-star quality rating system. Here, consumers can find ratings based on health inspections, staffing, and quality measures by location. Companies offer similar services
to help people search for the right fit. One site, A Place for Mom, uses a mix of residents, resident families, and industry experts to rate facilities on a variety of metrics. John Landas’ hunt for long-term
care for his parents started with an online search. From there, he visited facilities, sought information from friends, and used his intuition to inform the choice that he and his parents made. Jake and Joan Landas moved
from what had been their West Mankato home since 1970 to New Perspective Senior Living about two years ago. She had lost her vision by then and he was dealing with dementia, qualifying them for insurance benefits covering much of their care. Their son is an insurance agent and he helped them set it up. Paying the insurance premiums for 25 years quickly proved worth it
88 NEWSMAX MAXLIFE | JULY 2025
once they needed long-term care. For John, their only child, it
removed a burden from what was otherwise an emotional time. “It was a huge blessing to have
that financial strain not being salt in the wound,” he said. His father paid about $3,500 per
year in premiums starting at age 60 through 85, adding up to about $87,000 total. It took nine months in long-term care to break even, Landas said, and he’s been receiving long-term care now for more than two years. His mother paid similar amounts in premiums and broke even as well before her death on March 23.
them, though. His parents’ home would’ve made it unsafe for them to remain there. Both Braun, as a wife, and
Landas, as a son, were able to play the roles of advocates for their loved ones. Landas talked about being
at the facility regularly to build relationships with staff in an industry where the turnover can be high. His wife would bring baked goods to show appreciation for staff members, recognizing the care they give their loved ones. In Braun’s case, she kept pushing
Until you’ve lost a loved one, a parent, you don’t realize how hard it is.” — John Landas
They bought “unlimited benefit
period” policies, meaning benefits for long-term care would be provided to them until death as long as they had qualifying conditions. These plans aren’t offered anymore, Landas said, with providers instead doing hybrid plans covering long-term care costs over a certain number of years. Premium costs may seem high, he
said, until you need to pay for long- term care. “Compared to nothing, long-
term insurance is expensive,” he said. “Compared to pulling out the checkbook and paying for long-term care, it’s not. “I’ve said a thousand times, they
don’t prepare you for this,” he said. “I’ve lost my mom. She passed away a month ago. My dad has dementia. Until you’ve lost a loved one, a parent, you don’t realize how hard it is.”
The move was the right call for
for a place for her husband even as few places seemed willing to take him. Limited space at geriatric psychiatric facilities in Minnesota brought her attention to a facility in North Dakota, but she ruled it out because of the distance. Even if long-term care seems like
the logical choice, the decision can still elicit feelings of guilt, as Braun learned. After caring for Steven at home became too much for her to handle, he was at the hospital while they waited on a long-term care placement. “I cried many nights,” Braun said.
“I felt so guilty.” She visited him at the hospital
one day and, while she was leaving, he kept trying to follow her home. Nurses held him back as her elevator doors closed. Tears poured out as she sat in the car. Steven may have already been
dealing with dementia, but the traumatic brain injury from a fall on ice in front of their home triggered the start of a marked decline. One minute he seemed fine, the next he couldn’t do the most straightforward tasks. During one of his good episodes,
Braun remembers him saying he should’ve just died when he fell because it would’ve been easier than what the two were going through. “He hated what was happening to
him,” Braun said.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100
