The North Carolina Senior Citizens Association will sponsor an educational workshop on long-term care and estate planning on Tuesday, Feb. 26, at the new Hampton Inn Hotel at 200 Columbus Drive in Aberdeen.

It is behind the Best Buy and Starbucks Coffee off U.S. 15-501.

The workshop will be conducted by elder-law attorney Jason Sutton.

"Effective Nov. 1, 2007, the law dramatically changed, affecting the way we are allowed to preserve our independence and protect our assets from the rising costs of nursing home care," Sutton said. "At this workshop, you will learn how these new laws affect your family as well as ways to legally protect and preserve your estate from the rising costs of nursing homes and assisted living facilities."

Long-term care is the No. 1 health-care crisis in North Carolina and is a major concern of many American families, the association said in a news release. Studies have shown that senior Americans rank long-term care second, behind saving for retirement, when prioritizing their financial needs.

Unfortunately, many Americans do not want to think about needing long-term care and, therefore, fail to plan for it. Others wrongly assume that Medicare or their major medical health insurance policy will cover the costs of long-term care. As a result, many senior Americans will lose their life's savings this year to nursing home care and home health care expenses and have to resort ultimately to Medicaid, the association said.

"The best time to prepare for long-term care is before it is needed," Sutton said. "However, you still have options if a loved one is already receiving care at home or in a nursing home."

This educational workshop on long-term care and estate planning has been taught to more than 400,000 senior adults. The workshop will focus on critical issues that will most likely affect everyone in the near future -- either as a patient or a caregiver -- including the costs associated with home care as well as nursing home care.

This easy-to-follow presentation provides the latest information on long-term care available. Sutton will discuss how to legally protect your home and other assets from nursing home costs; national and local long-term care costs; payment options; up-to-date Medicare and Medicaid guidelines; and the attributes to look for in a good long-term care policy.

He will cover how to plan ahead for the care of an aging family member, and how the tax laws on long-term care will affect individuals as well as couples.

"In order to make good decisions you must have complete and accurate information," Sutton said. "This workshop is a great place to get the information you need."

Workshop attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and will receive free materials to help them evaluate their individual needs regarding long-term care protection.

Two workshops are scheduled on Tuesday, Feb. 26. Residents will have a choice of attending the morning or afternoon session. The morning workshop begins at 9:30, and the afternoon workshop begins at 2 p.m.

Because of the popularity of this workshop, seating is limited. Reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis. To make a reservation, call the 24-hour, toll-free reservation hotline at (800) 621-4818.

The North Carolina Senior Citizens Association is a nonprofit membership organization chartered by the state of North Carolina in 1977.

It is not affiliated with the federal government or any state agency.