Special
Features / March 2007
For the Long Term
 Vimal Chaudhari
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By Pat Lawrence
Vimal Chaudhari has a medical degree from India, a Master’s degree from Marshall, and a string of letters after her name attesting to her determination and commitment in her chosen field. Vimal is an independent insurance representative specializing in long term care insurance.
Her professional career as well as her personal life, has spanned continents and cultures.
Born and raised in Kohlapur, India, Vimal had been a family practice physician for three years when she met her husband-to-be at the marriage arranged by her parents. “I never dreamed I would come to the United States”, Vimal says. Arranged marriages where parents search for suitable spouses with similar educational and economic backgrounds, are traditional in India. Although her future husband lived in America, his family lived in India, in a neighboring province. In 1981, Vimal left her family and her practice for a new life as a wife and mother, first in California and three years later, West Virginia. For fifteen years, she concentrated on her children and husband. She says, “I missed practicing medicine, but I’ve never regretted the decision.”
Still, the same nature that led to her medical degree took Vimal back to school. In 1993 she completed her Master’s degree in Exercise Physiology and Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation, “a very interesting field!” and spent the next six years working with patients.
Although she could help them physically, there was nothing she could do to help them in other ways that were clearly as damaging. “I saw the real cost of long term care, not just to patients but to their families. Their money would be gone. Every one’s life was disrupted. I started reading articles about long term care and home health.”
She’d found a new career and a new way to help people.
Now a licensed independent insurance representative, she specializes in Long Term Care. “It is how people can protect their assets and family from the financial and emotional stress of long term care. People think it’s only for older people, but about 40 percent of people who get long term care are between 18-64. Whether it is Alzheimers or an accident, there are many reasons people need long term help.”
A woman who has spent her life learning, Vimal says, “I like educating people. It’s so important for people to know about their options before something happens. Health insurance provides coverage for acute conditions and hospitalization, not chronic conditions or long term care. Disability Income insurance is designed to provide income to meet everyday bills and financial needs. It doesn’t pay for long-term care services. If the individual requires regular supervision or assistance with basic activities of daily living, long-term care insurance would provide funds to help cover the expenses.”
Although many people associate long term care with nursing homes, Vimal says there are many other options, including assisted living and home health care. “Home health care provides full time or part time professional care in the home, or even care by family members. People can take advantage of adult day care in the community or get respite care so the family caregivers can take a vacation or a break when they need it.”
According to Vimal, “People often purchase long-term care insurance so family members can assist in ways they are physically, or financially, capable without compromising the needs of the person requiring care or the rest of their family. It’s all about education and options. They can choose the benefits that matter to them.”
Determined to provide her clients with the highest quality service and information, Vimal continues to expand her own knowledge. She completed a rigorous course of instruction in concerns facing seniors to become a Certified Senior Advisor, and is a Registered Financial Consultant, a professional designation awarded by the International Association of Registered Financial Consultants to financial advisors who meet specific standards of education, experience and integrity.
With her children in college and an established business, she takes time every three years to visit her family in India. She still practices yoga each morning. She says, “Gardening is my stress management. I have plants in every room, I talk to them!
Still, she never loses sight of her goal. “I help families build, protect, and preserve their assets.” Since the financial impact of long- term care may be one of the least understood issues in the country, she also helps clients with retirement planning and tax reduction. At home or in her Hurricane office, Vimal says,“When people start listening, they don’t stop.”
To contact Vimal Chaudhari, M.S., CLTC, RFC, CSA, call 304-444-1648, e-mail: vchaudh489@aol.com or visit www.SeniorAdvisorLTCweb.com.
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