My family is protected and they don't even know what that means, but I do. If I dropped to the floor in front of them they'd know what to do - dial 911. Then what? Call each other, decide whether to travel to be with me, discuss options, bicker, be very afraid, scared, frustrated, feel helpless, consult anybody and everybody!

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If I do not fully recover; now what? I require extended care! Not one of my family members would know what to do. They would go into crisis management. They don't know what to do but they will do whatever it takes. This all falls on my family: that family that I have loved my entire life. I have listened, advised, protected, fed, sheltered, drove anywhere and everywhere, sat up with at night, fretted with and over and always decided what was best for them. They never had to worry about anything but being a child and growing intro the best possible person they could be. They have NO idea what can happen to their Mother but I have made certain they don't have to do any more than dial an 800 number to get answers about extended care I will need. Their Mother is still caring for them, still planning what is in their best interest. Now grown, they have no clue what long term care can do to all of them, but I do, so I made sure that,once again, I have provided for them - I own long term care insurance! And the family has no idea what that means, but I do and, thankfully they are protected.