My mother-in-law's care costs about $11,000 a month. At 66 and 72, we can't retire because we need to help her out.

Kim Berling, a 66-year-old financial advisor and insurance sales representative, has been caring for her 99-year-old mother-in-law in Dallas while living in Albuquerque. Together with her 72-year-old husband, they are struggling to cover the high costs of long-term care for his mother. Their mother-in-law, who is cognitively intact at 99 but struggles with mobility, has a long-term care policy that provides a death benefit but no cash value and costs her $405 a month.

Despite having long-term care insurance, the Berlings still pay out-of-pocket expenses for home care, transportation, and additional supplies, totaling about $11,000 a month. With her mother-in-law's remaining insurance benefit of $41,000, they will be responsible for the full cost of her care once it runs out. Kim and her husband face the difficult decision of whether to continue working to support their mother-in-law or to retire, a choice made all the more challenging by the significant financial burden of her care.