Frequently Asked Questions

LTCareNav is a free, AI-powered platform that helps individuals and families plan for long-term care. We combine health analysis, financial projections, and care-provider matching to give you a personalized, dynamic plan that evolves as your needs change. Explore our Education Guide to learn more about what long-term care involves.

LTCareNav is completely free for personal users! We provide personalized long-term care guidance, AI-powered recommendations, and access to our comprehensive platform at no cost. Our mission is to make long-term care planning accessible to everyone.

LTCareNav is funded by professionals and providers who pay to be listed in our Care Connections directory and to make their services available to you. We only allow vetted, qualified professionals and providers onto the site who we know will provide you with the best service. This business model allows us to keep LTCareNav completely free for individuals and families while connecting you with trusted care providers, financial advisors, elder law attorneys, and other specialists who can help you navigate your long-term care journey.

Absolutely not! Everything on LTCareNav is completely free when you have a personal account—no hidden costs, no surprises. The only limitation is that we restrict how often you can run new scenarios to once per month, and certain high-compute features refresh every two weeks. In the future, we'll offer an optional upgrade for those who want to run multiple scenarios more frequently for a small monthly fee—but this will never be required for effective care planning.

LTCareNav was founded by a team passionate about making long-term care planning accessible and understandable for everyone. Our founder saw firsthand how overwhelming it can be to navigate care options, costs, and legal complexities—and built LTCareNav to change that. Learn more about our story and mission on the About page.

We use industry-standard encryption and security measures to protect your data. All personal health and financial information is encrypted both in transit and at rest. We are HIPAA compliant and never share your personal information with third parties without your explicit consent.

Long-term care refers to a range of services that help people with chronic illnesses, disabilities, or age-related conditions perform everyday activities like bathing, dressing, and eating. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, about 70% of adults over 65 will need some form of long-term care during their lifetime. Planning early gives you more options and greater control over your future. Read our comprehensive long-term care guide for more details.

Right now, we match you based on your care needs and location to find qualified options nearby via our Care Connections directory. An enhanced intelligent matching system is launching soon; it will also account for your preferences, budget, insurance coverage, cultural and language needs, and preferred care settings to deliver even more precise recommendations.

When you click 'Schedule a Consultation,' we use intelligent matching based on your profile information—not generic searching. This means you're connected with professionals and providers who are specifically suited to your unique situation, needs, and location. All professionals on our platform are thoroughly vetted to ensure quality and expertise. While LTCareNav is always free for you, some consultants may charge fees for their professional services—it's entirely your choice whether to engage them.

At the moment, the best approach is for each of you to create your own account. This makes it easy to compare profiles side by side and gain meaningful insights for your combined long-term care plan. A dedicated Spousal Account—built to link and coordinate both profiles—is launching soon.

Beyond our AI assistance, we are working to onboard a network of qualified professionals including care coordinators, financial planners, elder law attorneys, and healthcare advocates who can provide personalized consultation via our Care Connections directory. These professionals specialize in long-term care planning and can be matched to your specific needs. In the meantime, if you need assistance, email hello@LTCareNav.com and we will get you in touch with one of our Certified Senior Advisors.

Start by having an open conversation about their wishes, current health, finances, and any legal documents they have in place (such as a power of attorney or living will). Then, create a free LTCareNav account on their behalf to get a personalized care plan that takes their specific situation into account. Even a few minutes of data entry can reveal valuable insights about care affordability, health trajectories, and provider options near them.

Caregiver burnout is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion that often affects people who care for a loved one over an extended period. Signs include chronic fatigue, irritability, withdrawal, and neglecting your own health. To avoid burnout, set boundaries, accept help from others, and take regular breaks. Professional respite care can give you time to recharge. LTCareNav can help you find qualified respite and home care providers in your area through our Care Connections directory.

Consider professional care when your loved one's needs exceed what you can safely provide—such as complex medication management, mobility assistance that risks injury, or behavioral symptoms of dementia. There's no shame in seeking help; professional caregivers are trained to handle these situations safely. A blended approach—where you provide companionship and oversight while professionals handle clinical tasks—often produces the best outcomes for everyone.

Long-distance caregiving is increasingly common. Start by coordinating with local resources: a geriatric care manager, home health aides, and community support services near your loved one. Technology tools like video calls and medication reminder apps can bridge the distance. LTCareNav helps by matching your loved one with vetted providers in their ZIP code through Care Connections, so you can feel confident about the care they're receiving even when you can't be there in person.

Getting started is easy! Simply create an account and answer just six simple questions. No identifiable data is needed (other than your email). You'll receive a full personalized dashboard with AI-powered recommendations based on your responses.

Want even deeper, more tailored insights? You can choose to fill out our Full Form either at the start or later, when you are ready. While the Full Form is more tailored to you, the Fast Form will give you a great overview and full dashboard access.

Your free personal account includes every feature on LTCareNav with full access—no upgrades required. The only limitation is that you can only update your data and run new scenarios once per month, which is typically all you need when providing accurate information. Since health conditions, finances, Medicaid rules, and care facility options naturally evolve over time, we designed the platform as a live, dynamic plan that changes with you and your care environment.

Get started with just 6 simple questions — it's quick, easy, and no identifiable details needed (just your email). You'll get instant access to your personalized care dashboard — just like the one in our sample report.

For the full intake form, you'll need information in six key areas:

• Personal & Demographics: Basic information including name, date of birth, address, marital status, veteran status, and legal documents status.
• Health & Functional Status: Current health conditions, medications, surgical history, mobility needs, and self-assessments of your physical and cognitive health.
• Insurance Coverage: Details about your Medicare, Medicaid, long-term care insurance, private insurance, or VA benefits.
• Financial Situation: Income sources and amounts, monthly expenses, assets, home ownership, vehicle information, and any financial dependents.
• Care Preferences: When you expect to need care, preferred care settings, desired amenities and activities, location preferences, and language needs.
• Review & Consent: Final review of your information and consent for data use.

We understand that LTCareNav provides a lot of comprehensive information, and it can feel overwhelming at first. We recommend taking your time and slowly going through each section of your personalized dashboard. Read through your financial projections, health analysis, and care recommendations at your own pace. If you still have questions, our LTCareNav Assistant is available 24/7 to help explain any specific data points, projections, or recommendations in simple terms.

Our LTCareNav Assistant is your first resource for any questions! This AI-powered chat assistant can explain your personalized care recommendations, financial projections, health insights, and more. Simply click the chat button and ask anything about your LTCareNav experience. For additional support, you can use the 'Schedule a Consultation' button to connect with qualified providers and professionals who can offer personalized guidance.

You can update your information whenever your circumstances change. Return to your intake form to adjust health details, finances, or care preferences, and use your dashboard to test scenarios and see how changes affect your plan. Note: some high-compute features refresh on a 14-day cycle. Full profile recalculations are available once every 30 days. Need more frequent updates? Upgraded profiles will enable faster refreshes and on-demand scenarios (coming soon).