On average, 50% of women will require some form of Long Term Care in their lifetime, and 33% of men will require long-term care. The risk for women may be higher, due to a longer life expectancy. The risk for men may be lower, due to a shorter life expectancy, and due to the fact that women tend to care for their spouses longer at home without the assistance of home health care or other services. 

The risk of entering a nursing home is fairly high. It is estimated that 39% of Americans over the age of 65 will enter a nursing home for long-term care. Of those, approximately half will stay there for an average of 2.5-3 years, and 10% will stay for five years or longer.

(Source: Murtaugh, Christopher M. “The Amount, Distribution, and Timing of Lifetime Nursing Home Use.” Medical Care. Vol 35, no3. April 1997)

For a couple turning 65, there is a 70% chance that one of them will need long-term care  (Wall Street Journal)

More than half of people 65 and older will eventually need some form of extended care. (The New York Times)

60% of people over 75 need long-term care. (Business Week)

97% of people over age 85 require assistance in the last year of life. (The LTC Report)

Singles are at risk because they are usually not with someone who can properly care for them.  The same is true for wives, who tend to outlast their husbands by seven years average.  (Jane Bryant Quinn)