Long term care ranges from some scheduled help around the house to 24-hour care in a nursing home. The purpose of long term care is to help you maintain as much independence as possible without compromising safety. A long term care facility or home health care aide can help with the weekly shopping or bathing and dressing that you may be unable to do as well as you used to. In addition, knowing that someone's there to help can relieve stress.

Several levels of long term care exist. When choosing long term care, get to know what to expect from each level of care. This will help you pick the type of long term care that's most appropriate.

Home care

Home care includes medical care — usually nurses who come to your home if you can't go out. But this category of long-term care can also include help around the home. Home health aides or personal care service workers can visit daily or as needed to help you bathe and get dressed. They can also assist with housekeeping, meals and shopping.

Adult care

Adult care programs are a type of long term care that offers social interaction and meals from one to five days a week, depending on the program. Some adult care programs provide transportation to and from the care center. Activities often include exercises, games, trips, art and music. Some adult care programs offer medical services, such as help taking medications or checking blood pressure.

Senior housing (sometimes referred to as independent living facilities)

If you or a loved one can no longer live in a house but doesn't need continuous long term care, you might consider senior housing or retirement housing. This type of housing is often rental apartments that have been adapted for seniors, including railings installed in the bathrooms and power outlets placed higher on the walls. Other services offered by senior housing communities include meals, transportation, housekeeping and activities.

Assisted living

Consider assisted living if you need more help than senior housing offers but still want to remain as independent as possible. Assisted living staff can help residents take medications on schedule, help with bathing and dressing, and provide some medical care. Some assisted living facilities also have on-site beauty shops and health services such as a medical clinic.

Nursing home

Nursing homes offer 24-hour nursing care if you or a loved one is recovering from an illness or an injury. They also offer end-of-life care. Nursing home services are for those who need more medical care than other long term care options can offer, such as wound care, rehabilitative therapy, and help with respirators or ventilators. Personal care for bathing, dressing and going to the bathroom also is available at nursing homes.

Continuing-care retirement community (CCRC)

CCRCs offer several levels of care in one setting. They enable you to stay in one place for the rest of your life rather than moving each time you need a new level of care. You might choose to move into a CCRC senior housing apartment while you're still healthy and independent. When you need more help with daily activities, you can move to the assisted living area. For more care, you can go to the CCRC's on-site nursing home. You usually pay a fee or endowment to enter the CCRC, rather than paying monthly for rent and services.