As you think ahead about passing your assets to your loved ones through the process of estate planning, another key consideration should crop up; that of protecting your own interests with regards to health care.

Many people question whether or not they will need a nursing home at some point in their future and plenty of research illustrates that the odds are you will need some type of assisted living or nursing assistance. The proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences recently published a study, showing that the average daily cost of a nursing home was approximately $229 per day.

The RAND Corporation found that approximately 56% of people between the ages of 57 and 61 will stay in a nursing home a minimum of one night during the course of their life. Previous estimates believed that number was around 45%, however. There is also a higher number of people who have short stays in nursing homes. In fact, RAND identified that nursing home stays of 21 nights or less increased from a 1998 number of 28% to a 2010 number of 34%. Looking ahead to see how you can control your long-term care and other health related costs in retirement is extremely valuable for someone encountering the estate planning process.

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