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Heinz Family Philanthropies (www.heinzfamily.org) Release New 'Facts About' Cards, Highlighting Questions Families Should Ask About Long-Term Care -- 10 Questions to Answer... (www.tenquestionstoanswer.org)

Posted on: Wednesday, 13 May 2009, 10:37 CDT

WASHINGTON, May 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Figuring out long-term care is complicated and very often families do not even know which questions to begin asking when they start -- or when they are suddenly forced -- to consider it.

The Heinz Family Philanthropies is adding a new series to its Facts About project entitled "10 QUESTIONS TO ANSWER... About Long-term Care." The 10 Answers will provide the most up-to-date, concise, accurate, and unbiased information related to important issues about long-term care.

Long-term care encompasses a variety of medical and non-medical services provided to persons with chronic diseases or disabilities who need assistance with activities of daily living like dressing, bathing, and using the bathroom. Long-term care can be provided at home, in the community, in assisted living communities, or in nursing homes.

Previous editions have covered such issues as Prescription Drugs and Seniors, Health Care Cost and Coverage, Women's Pensions and Retirement Benefits, and Health of College Students.

The Facts About series of informative fact sheets is distributed via index-sized laminated cards. These cards are distributed to decision makers in the public and private sectors and the public at large. 10 QUESTIONS TO ANSWER..., will be first available online fact sheets and within the next 30 days in the normal Facts About format as 3 x 5 laminated index cards.

10 QUESTIONS TO ANSWER... poses a series of questions for older adults and their families to consider when deciding about long-term care. They provide brief answers, ideas for further consideration, and links to resources that can help families dealing with these difficult issues.

These new fact sheets expand The Heinz Family Philanthropies' on-going public information campaign. On this specific series we are joined by the Foundation for the Future of Aging.

The five new fact sheets in the "10 Questions" series are:

• 10 Questions to Answer Before You or a Your Loved One Needs Long-Term Care...
  • These questions examine long-term care options beyond nursing home care.
• 10 Questions to Answer Before You or a Your Loved One Purchase Long-Term Care...
  • These questions look at the financial aspects of long-term care.
• 10 Questions to Answer Before Choosing a Nursing Home or Assisted Living...
  • These questions will provide you with a logical process for selecting a new home that best matches your needs and lifestyle, or those of a loved one.
• 10 Questions to Answer Before Managing Your Long-Term Care Services...
  • These questions examine how you define what is important and preferred by you or your loved one when living into great old age or with a disability.
• 10 Questions to Answer When You Are Not Happy with Your Long-Term Care...
  • These questions address options on how to handle situations when you think the care you are getting is not what or how you really want it.

"Teresa Heinz, chairman of the Heinz Family Philanthropies, said: "The Facts About cards are intended to help public and private decision-makers recognize the complexity of long term care. And, equally important, this specific set was created to help the children of aging parents, and other relatives involved in these very important decisions, to understand that there are organizations and experts ready to help. Knowing where to look for information that is both up-to-date and unbiased can be very daunting -- but with our new Ten Questions To Answer on long-term care, that information is all now in one place."

Jan Thayer, chairman of the Foundation for the Future of Aging (www.future-aging.org), which is partnering with the Heinz Foundation on this project, stated, "The Foundation for the Future of Aging is delighted to partner with the Heinz Family Philanthropies on such an important project for families as they grapple with how best to provide long-term care for their loved ones today. We deeply appreciate the vision of Teresa Heinz in creating this program. With the pending age wave of 77 million baby boomers, these long-term care information cards will give families the tools they need to plan ahead and make important decisions into the future."

In 2002, Heinz Family Philanthropies introduced its Facts About card series, aimed at providing decision-makers with up-to-date and dependable statistical information on many complex problems that face our nation. Since the program's inception, more than 400,000 Facts About cards have been distributed to lawmakers, business professionals, civic leaders, community advocates, educators, union leaders, parents, and students.

Jeffrey R. Lewis, president of the Heinz Family Philanthropies, said "We began the Facts About series to help educate decision- makers. The 10 QUESTIONS TO ANSWER... series targets a specific group of decision makers -- children of aging parents who are often thrust into the long-term care world not knowing what to ask, where to call or whom to talk with. Our goal here is to begin to open the door to long term care information to them and to the vast set of experts and organizations -- through our 10 QUESTIONS TO ANSWER..."

The 10 QUESTIONS TO ANSWER website (www.tenquestionstoanswer.org) will release the next fact sheet each Wednesday over the next five weeks.

SOURCE Heinz Family Philanthropies

Source: PR Newswire

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