__ Talk to my children, family, and friends about preparing for my future care.

__ Start a discussion with my parents about their goals and plans for long term care services.

__ Find out about my spouse’s wishes for his/her long term care needs.

__ Determine if staying in my home to receive care is important to me.

__ Learn more about the costs of long term care in my area so that I can prepare for this potential future expense.

__ Research local resources for home care, community-based care, and facility care to better understand the types of care available.

__ Gather important financial documents and information about any existing insurance.

__ See if my state has a Partnership Program for Long Term Care, a program that was developed to help consumers have more options to pay for long term care services.