Long-term care is America’s single largest healthcare crisis. It has and will continue to bankrupt middle class families unless they plan ahead. Solutions to our countries’ senior long-term care problem should start with the most basic issues we face: awareness, cost, and accessibility.

Like all important issues – long-term care solutions start at home. Given that many families will continue this struggle alone, we must alter our perception of aging. Instead of fear we should take a pragmatic look at ways to spark discussions, provide information, and give all seniors a fair choice in how they spend their golden years.

Families of all ages should know their options. Seniors should understand the choices, the opportunities and the pitfalls. So too must children of aging parents. But information is only one part of our long-term care equation. Without affordable long term care services to assist people in remaining independent, the prospect of quality independence shrinks.

No one should be forced to deplete their life savings and place further stress on their families as our economy struggles to rebound. Younger Americans who start planning today should have their long-term care investments shielded from burdensome taxes.

By 2030, nearly one fifth of our population will be over the age of 65 and 70 percent of them will require some form of long-term care. Without a viable infrastructure for providing senior independence, there will continue to be a large portion of seniors who must rely on already over-stretched family members for long-term care.