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When it comes to retirement savings, living too long can be a blessing or a curse. For women, who tend to outlive men and spend years caring for family members, it's a major cause of anxiety. Those were the findings of a recent survey by the Nationwide Retirement Institute. In February, the institute performed an online poll of 1,007 adults over age 50 with household income of at least $150,000 and 522 adults over age 50 who are or have been caregivers. Of the participants, 71 percent of women said that they were worried about having enough money to pay for long-term care expenses.

That worry was especially keen among caregivers: 3 out of 4 said they were concerned about keeping up with long-term care costs. Women feel the strain of long-term care keenly, as they tend to be the ones looking after their elderly and infirm parents and spouses. "Sons want to care for mom and dad and be supportive, but they feel comfortable identifying an expert to navigate that," said Joanna Gordon Martin, founder and CEO of Theia Senior Solutions. "Daughters feel that it's their responsibility to provide care, even if they don't understand the complexity of the landscape," she said. Here's what women need to know about planning for long-term care.

A slippery slope

It's no secret that paying for long-term care is a costly endeavor. In 2017, the annual national median cost of bringing in a home health aide was $49,192, according to data from Genworth. A year's worth of care in a semiprivate room at a nursing home is even more: $85,775 was the annual national median cost, according to Genworth. See below for details on assisted living expenses.

Recruiting family members to help out with these needs adds on a different kind of cost. Seven out of 10 of the participants in Nationwide's study said they would like the option of relying on a family member if they needed long-term care. Without the appropriate planning in place, things can quickly become overwhelming and may potentially endanger the caregiver's career. "It's a slippery slope," said Martin. "It starts with 'I'll go to one or two appointments' and then it eventually becomes 'I'll fly down to Florida.'" Indeed, on average, caregivers in Nationwide's study said they spend 56 hours a week caring for loved ones.

The best laid plans

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