The primary financial challenge to the average American family is the cost of paying for long term care during end stages of a lifetime. The manner, causes, and timing of death and dying in America has changed during the lifetime of people who are currently seniors. The need for long term care is most often overlooked, or specifically discounted, in the mistaken belief that “it won’t happen to me” or “we won’t put momma in one of those places.” In reality the challenges of dying due to slow and progressive maladies has made long term care the most likely scenario for every living American. The funding for this care is available from a very small universe of alternatives. At over $5,000 per month, paying for long term care out of savings is unrealistic or impossible to the vast majority of middle class families. Elder law attorneys are specially suited to develop systems for funding long term care and helping seniors to access benefits available to pay for this care.