Growth in Alabama Long Term Care Costs Outpacing the Rate of Inflation in Much of the State, According to Annual Genworth Finan...( Study Gives Alabama Residents Access ...),Health

Study Gives Alabama Residents Access to Nursing Home, Assisted Living, Home Care and Adult Day Health Care Costs in Nearly Every Zip Code Statewide

RICHMOND, Va., April 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The cost of long term care in Alabama is rising at a rate outpacing inflation across much of the state, putting significant financial pressure on those in or near retirement, according to an annual study by Genworth Financial. At the same time, the current economic downturn has led to a decline in home values and investment returns for many residents of Alabama, creating further financial planning challenges for many in the state.

Nationwide, the annual cost for a private nursing home room is $74,208, or $203 per day, representing an increase of 4 percent annually since 2005. This represents a rate of growth nearly twice that of the median annual inflation rate of 2.3 percent over the same period of time, measured using the Core CPI (which excludes food and fuel) reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In Alabama, this cost has risen 6 percent in Birmingham and Montgomery, while costs in Mobile have increased 1 percent.

Since 2004, Genworth has surveyed the cost of long term care across the U.S. to provide Americans with a clear understanding of the cost of care in their part of the country. With this knowledge, individuals and families can begin to prudently plan for these potential costs. The most comprehensive study of its kind, Genworth's 2009 Cost of Care Survey, conducted by CareScout(R), covers more than 14,000 nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and home health and adult day health care providers in 331 regions across America, including 12 regions in Alabama.