Two retirement specialists in Hawaii are using Long-Term Care Awareness Month to urge families to plan ahead before a health crisis forces the issue, which is good news for anyone wanting to avoid being caught off guard financially.

• Long-Term Care Academy Hawaii offers free seminars and one-on-one consultations to help people understand their options.
• Many people wrongly assume Medicare covers long-term care, but it only pays for up to 100 days of skilled nursing before stopping.
• Roughly 40-50% of applicants get turned down for long-term care coverage due to age or existing health conditions, and costs can run several thousand dollars a month for those who do qualify.
• The push comes from personal experience, with one specialist's grandmother caring for a disabled grandfather at home for decades before he eventually needed nursing home care.

Outlook: The group is running weekly consultations and gift card giveaways through the month to get more families to start planning before they need care.