Texas is one of six states selected by the federal Department of Health and Human Services to participate in a long-term care planning promotion campaign known as "Own Your Future."

"Own Your Future" is an aggressive campaign the federal Department of Health and Human Services developed to promote long-term care planning among state residents.

"This campaign will focus on encouraging Texans age 45 to 65 to begin thinking about their long-term care needs, such as long-term care insurance, legal decisions about major life decisions, physical fitness and retirement savings," Gov. Rick Perry said Thursday. "It's never too soon to prepare for long-term care."

Perry says the importance of planning for later years is underscored by the fact that only 8 percent of older Texans today report personal savings as their largest source of income and that one in three Americans provide unpaid care for a friend or a relative over the course of a year.

"In addition, many people mistakenly believe that Medicare will meet all their long-term care needs," Perry says. "This is not the case, and if a Texan age 65 or older develops a disability while living in the community, they can expect to pay an average of $175,000 over the remainder of their lives on care for that disability."

A long-term care planning tool kit is available from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Web site (www.aoa.gov/ownyourfuture) or individuals can call 866-752-6582 to discuss long-term care needs.

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