The cost of long-term care keeps going up, and it's a growing problem for Americans of all ages

A caregiver visits Lana Mountford's place a few hours a week.

Chona Kasinger for BI Some days, Tamara Johnson wonders how her life changed so rapidly.

Johnson, 58, made six figures in an executive leadership position, and when her mother was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and dementia in 2017, she moved from New Orleans to Virginia, where she continued to work while caring for her mother .

Three years after her mom's death in 2020, Johnson's husband suffered a series of catastrophic medical events.

To care for him full-time, she took a temporary leave and then quit her job this year.

She relied on income from her job's deferred resignation program and her savings to pay for his long-term care.

Johnson estimates her family spent over $700,000 in total between her mom's and husband's care.

Coming up with that money has been harder, as her husband's income from medical disability retirement was quartered.

"I was one of those people who was taught that you don't quit, you suck it up, and you keep going," Johnson said.

"I felt like I didn't have the luxury of falling apart, because if I fell apart, then who would pick up the slack?" Tamara Johnson holds a framed photo of her mother.

Valerie Plesch for BI Eldercare costs have skyrocketed in recent years, and millions of Americans are unprepared.

The price of nursing homes and adult day services has increased faster than overall consumer prices, as well as food, electricity, and shelter, over the last three decades.

Price hikes in assisted living, at-home care, and nursing homes have left families scrambling to cover costs.

It's pushed some to opt for lower-quality care, such as sending loved ones to a lower-rated facility at half the price of a luxury community.