The North Carolina Senior Citizens Association will sponsor an educational workshop on long-term care Tuesday, Jan. 29, at the Holiday Inn Bordeaux in Fayetteville.

The event, which will be conducted at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., is free and open to the public.

Under the Affordable Care Act, millions of American seniors and veterans will be newly eligible to receive quality, affordable health care through financial assistance and the new health insurance marketplaces, a news release said. Attorney Jason Sutton, a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and a Veterans Administration accredited attorney, will conduct the workshop.

"It is important to learn how to protect the family home and life savings from the high cost of long-term care expenses," the association said in the news release. "The law governing the protection of assets from long-term care expenses has dramatically changed.

"Workshop attendees will learn some of the biggest mistakes families make and how to avoid them, and strategies for dealing with such issues as estate planning, gifting money to children, reducing out-of-pocket care expenses, and dealing with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's, dementia or multiple sclerosis."

Participants will also learn that many veterans and their spouses can qualify for a little-known VA benefit to help them stay at home and out of the nursing home, or to pay for assisted living expenses.

Because of the popularity of this workshop, seating is limited. Reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis. Anyone planning to attend can call the reservation hotline 24 hours a day at (910) 678-3039 or toll-free at (800) 622-8686.