Margaret Sweborg—The Will to Survive
As an only child who married but didn't have children of her own, Margaret Sweborg always had an independent streak. She worked for many years as an executive secretary, and in her free time she would often travel across the country with her husband, Wayne.
After Wayne died in 1988, and having recently retired, Margaret kept busy by doing volunteer work and continuing to take frequent road trips. And while fending for herself was nothing new for Margaret, she was concerned about how she'd manage if her health ever deteriorated. She decided to purchase long-term care insurance after meeting with her insurance agent.
Like most people, Margaret bought the insurance hoping she'd never need it. But 13 years later, Margaret, 79, tripped while stepping into her home and broke her hip. Unable to move, she lay on the floor for five days. Finally a concerned neighbor got someone to open the door, and Margaret, her pulse barely detectable, was rushed to the hospital.
The attending physician called Margaret's granddaughter with the sobering news that she probably wouldn't make it through the night. Margaret defied the doctor's prediction, but the accident caused a sharp decline in her overall health.
Unable to care for herself anymore, Margaret now lives in a nursing home where she has first-rate, around-the-clock care. According to her granddaughter, "were it not for the $70 daily benefit from her long-term care policy plus some retirement savings, she probably would have spent down all her assets and sought care through Medicaid. Now she gets all the care she needs and then some."
This video is provided by the Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping consumers make smart insurance decisions to safeguard their families’ financial futures. © LIFE 2009. All rights reserved.
