Life Care Planning – Maybe It’s Time to Think About It

There comes the time that we need to think about putting together a plan for the “what if.” It is possible you are supporting your elderly parents with a life care plan or looking ahead to plan for yourself and/or a spouse. This February we will be focusing on resources and support for caregivers and options for living facilities and caregiving. In the next few weeks our blog will be dedicated to sharing types of living facilities and caregiving options that are available. Please entertain your curiosity on this topic, or any of the topics our services can support in regards to your personal circumstances, offered on our website or simply give us a call. Joan Hopley, our Elder Care Coordinator, has several networking relationships to point you in the direction you desire. We are hosting a free in-house educational program “The Caregiver’s Tool Box” on the 12th and 16th of February. You can RSVP by calling 630-377-3241 or email [email protected]. Visit our Events page to stay up to date with details of the programs we offer the community each month.

Life Care Planning is a service that helps people find and pay for good care for life.  It is a “team” approach serving the needs of the client, which combines the skills of both of the Elder Law Attorney, Financial Advisors, Care Coordinators and Other Professionals.  

 Life Care Planning deals with the “unplanned” by looking closely at the four continuums:

• ·         Health & Ability to Function
• ·         Home Sweet Home
• ·         Cost of Care
• ·         Public Benefits & Available Resources

 Odds are, that forty-three percent of people over the age of 65, progressing to fifty percent of people over the age of 85, will need a skilled nursing home care at some point in his or her lifetime. Amongst that, the average stay is more than two years. So, goals and a plan are in the best interest of being prepared. Consider the following Life Care Planning Goals:

• ·         Care for Mom and Dad
• ·         Care for the Caregiver
• ·         Quality of life for Mom and Dad
• ·         Avoid Impoverishment
• ·         Protect the House
• ·         Protect the Inheritance

Planning ahead for your own disability is a difficult step to take because no one wants to believe it can happen to them; but it can happen.