Taking care of disabled family members can be difficult. There are a lot of things to take into consideration, and you always have to think of what works best for them, even if they aren’t aware about their needs. However, what’s even scarier is the thought that one day they might be left to their own resources. That’s why it pays to plan for the future and its uncertainties, and the best way to do that is through creating a Future Care Plan.
When planning for Future Care for a disabled family member, there are a few essential things you need to take into consideration. Here’s what you need to do.
Planning for Their Future Needs
Since the purpose of the whole future care plan is to create a stable, satisfying, and resourceful life, your plan, naturally, starts with listing out what they’d need in the future. This includes their accommodation, needs, and preferences.
Accommodation
When it comes to accommodation, a critical question needs to be asked: can they take care of themselves if they’re living alone? Some physical disabilities still allow for a margin of personal care, while other physical and mental disabilities alike make it impossible. In such cases, you’ll want to explore different options; can they live with another family member? Do they need professional services like housing?
Needs
Depending on the stage they’re at in life, their needs can change dramatically. Teenagers, young adults, older adults, and seniors all have different needs. Take the time to research and build a comprehensive understanding of their needs depending on their future life changes and make sure to plan accordingly.
Preferences
Your disabled family member can very well have their own preferences regarding many things. It’s important to consider how they want to live their lives while adjusting their preferences around their needs and what you think will work best for them.
Financial Planning
One of the more troubling aspects of creating a future care plan is planning for it financially. Depending on their needs, you might find the costs catching up way too quickly.
If you don’t plan it meticulously, they might end up running out of money with no means to provide for themselves. To make sure they’ll be well-provided for, here are a couple of options:
Opening Trusts
Opening trusts is the most common way to plan for the future of a disabled child, and it can be done for other family members as well. There are mainly two options when it comes to opening trusts: Support Trusts and Special Needs Trusts. Parents can make contributions to cover their children’s needs in a Support Trust, but having a Support Trust usually denies them eligibility for Supplemental Security Income or Medicaid.
Seek Medicaid or Medicare
There are many regulations and requirements for qualifying for either Medicaid or Medicare insurances. Medicaid requires the disabled individuals and their families to be of low-income, along with other federal and state law regulations. Medicare is thought to be only acquired by seniors passing 65 years of age, and it’s an insurance plan that works in covering hospital costs and part of the medical costs. But what most people don’t know is that there are plans for disabled under 65 years of age that provide supplemental insurance to cover the gap in traditional Medicare. These plans come in different levels, but they can aid in covering the costs of co-payments, coinsurance, and deductibles.
Legal Planning
Last but not least, you want to make all of the legal requirements in case the worst happens and they’re left on their own. These steps include:
Social Security Programs
When eligible for Social Security programs, the disabled can get financial help and special treatment to improve their quality of life. There are different programs for disabled people of varying ages and disability causes, such as Social Security Disability (SSD), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). Getting approved for SSI can increase the chances of getting Medicaid.
Will and Guardianships
You also need to make sure that your affairs are in order so that their well-being is covered. Updating your will and specifying their financial share is critical to make sure they’ll have the support they need. It’s also wise to choose a guardian who’ll take care of their accommodation, health, treatment, and lifestyle.
The thought of leaving a disabled family member alone can be scary, which makes planning for their future care an essential task to do. Your plan should be based on their own future needs and preferences. Making sure to leave a comprehensive financial plan to cover all of their costs is also a crucial part in the future care plan. Finally, taking legal steps to aid in their financial and general life support is also as important.
