From an outsider's point of view, Suzanne has had more than her share of tragedy. A diving accident left her a quadriplegic at a young age and a few years later, a drunk driver rammed and destroyed her specially equipped van. Some people would be angry or embittered. However, Suzanne, now 30, consistently describes herself as "lucky" and her life as "wonderful."

Her upbeat attitude towards life certainly owes much to her optimistic, independent personality and refusal to let circumstances overwhelm her. Suzanne's outlook might also be attributed in part to a recent change in her financial situation. Her membership in the Long-Term Care Insurance Plan offered by her employer has enabled her to afford the home care she needs and lessened her dependence on family members.

Citing the plan as an example of the company's concern for its employees, she comments, "At my company, the employees are very important, so the organization wanted to make long-term care insurance available to them. I feel lucky to work for a corporation that wants to bring this benefit to its employees."

She says of the plan, "It really opened the door as far as taking the financial strain off me is concerned. Ever since I was injured and on my own, I've had to pay for home health care out of my own pocket. The cost represented a substantial amount of my salary. Now I can not only afford to hire aides who are better qualified, but I can have them come in every day. To me, these are wonderful benefits."

Because Suzanne works full-time, her husband and mother had been taking turns helping her prepare for work, a process that begins at 6:00 a.m. and takes about two hours. For her mother, the time included a 30 to 40 minute commute as well. Now a home health care aide comes in at least six mornings a week to assist her. "My mother and husband were both over-stressed," notes Suzanne. "It was wonderful to have that burden lifted off them."

"I'm sure I'm unusual, a young person with a spinal cord injury and a full-time job, and I'm glad to share my thoughts about the plan, because this is such a wonderful thing for me to have," Suzanne says.

Though Suzanne is unusual - and very special - the hard fact is that a person can develop a need for long-term care at any age.

"At a young age, LTC insurance premiums are so low that it's really to your benefit to get in on it," Suzanne advises. "Then, whatever happens in life, you'll have a nest egg. You won't be overburdened or strained financially if a tragedy occurs. Financially, the plan has made a big difference in my life."

[ Charlotte ]