What Goes Into a Life Care Plan?

This is a very personal matter to me so, I am going to write it to you as if I am writing a personal note.  To understand what goes into a life care plan, I’d like you to know how I began working in this area of practice.  You see, I have been an elder law attorney for quite some time now.  And, many times, elder law attorneys focus on estate planning and Medicaid or asset protection.  Early on my practice was no different.

But, as I worked for my clients, creating their estate plans and protecting their assets, we’d develop a relationship.  Soon, and I mean very soon in that relationship, they would begin asking about other areas related to aging, chronic illness and long term care.   While people initially came to us to protect assets they were even more concerned about getting good care and making good decisions.  In fact, many times those questions arose in the very first meeting.  They included questions like, “How do I convince my mom she needs to go into a facility?” “What type of place should she go to?”  “What about the end of life decisions?”  “How do I hire a home health agency?”  “We can’t seem to understand what the doctor is talking about.”

I soon realized a more holistic view was needed.   Coming from a social work background, I could see the need for a care coordinator.  People needed help and we couldn’t, in good conscience, just send them running all over town to try to find it.   That is when I learned about LIFE CARE PLANNING.  We became a member of the Life Care Planning Law Firms Association where we received support in providing this holistic service to our clients.  For our clients, our staff and for me, it fit perfectly.  It opened up avenues for us to help our clients to get beyond the crises.   More information about Life Care Planning can be found at LCPLFA  https://lcplfa.org/about-life-care-planning

In a Life Care Planning practice, we work with people not only on the “How to pay for care” question, but also, “How to navigate these difficult waters of aging.”   We are elder centered.  We help make sure the elder receives appropriate care, obtain what public benefits may be available to them, and provide ongoing educational support as the elder moves along the Elder Care Continuum.   This way, gaps in care are addressed and are less likely to become major crises.

Hope you enjoyed this information and please share it with anyone who can benefit from it.

Have a wonderful day!

April

April Hill

Founder, Board Certified Elder Law Attorney

Hill Law Group