Pierce County Aging and Disability Resources will host informational meetings in April on the subject of long-term care and insurance.

The one-hour meetings, which the county agency describes as an opportunity to get straight-forward information about the benefits and disadvantages to a long-term plan, are scheduled for:

• April 14 at 7 p.m. at Soundview Building, 3602 Pacific Ave. in Tacoma.

• April 16 at 7 p.m. at Tacoma Lutheran Retirement Community, 1301 N Highlands Parkway in Tacoma.

The meetings are free. RSVPs are requested in advance by calling (253) 798-8787. Additional information is available from Aging and Disability Resources at (253) 798-4600.

Topics to be covered include: long term care services and the need for care, what insurance really does, who should buy it and who shouldn’t, and alternatives to long term care insurance.

“Our culture often denies aging,” said Aaron Van Valkenburg, manager of Aging and Disability Resources. “It’s easy to not even think about long-term care insurance. It can be very expensive, and most of us never think we will need care for an extended period of time. But before turning our back on such a policy, it’s important to know what it is we are rejecting.”

About 10 percent of adults have long-term insurance, and Medicare doesn’t cover long-term care, officials said.