What is Care Planning? & Why is it Important?

What is Care Planning? & Why is it Important?

Aging life care planning is a long term care plan that provides care attention that is necessary in managing one’s health and well-being. Akin to “life care planning”, or “long-term care planning” this planning process equips you with a deeper understanding of the future, providing security for health, finances, legal matters, and personal preferences. Regardless of one’s age or health condition, this particular person-centered care provides a sense of dignity, comfort, and peace of mind.

Long-term care planning includes prepping your life care needs, including actions to take for improving health, maintaining wellbeing, and developing an understanding of the need for support to perform daily activities as you advance into your age or become ill or have an injury. Among the many types of care services provided, this helps you preserve your independence, dignity, and quality of life. An effective care plan also protects your family and finances from the high costs of life care services. When it comes down to health and quality of care, it is important to be strategic. Receiving care has never been more important than for those who have a progressive health conditions or already have a need for assistance with life care management. 

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The many benefits for all individuals and families who wish to be more prepared for life care through the ages cannot be overstated enough.

There is a wise saying that says “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Being prepared helps reduce stress in the event of an unexpected happening. Being prepared equips you with many benefits, such as:

  • Boosting your confidence and self-esteem. When we are prepared, we feel more capable and confident to handle any situation or challenge, regardless of health outcomes. Care plans help you avoid the frustration and anxiety of being caught off guard or unprepared while improving health outcomes. 
  • Improving our performance and productivity. Being prepared allows us to focus on the task at hand, without being distracted by anxiety or uncertainty or diminishing your physical and mental capacity. Having the necessary resources and health information ready can save a lot of time and energy.
  • Increasing our learning and growing our wisdom. Being prepared helps us to acquire new knowledge and skills, such as improving health literacy. Avoiding a stagnant lifestyle, and learning how to apply them effectively is among the better ways to keep healthy and avoid health problems. Learning from our mistakes and receiving feedback and improving our action plans and future preparations, which further helps in boosting the effectiveness of care planning..
  • Relieving burden on others, such as family. Preparing ahead can alleviate the need for others to make decisions for you, making it a little easier in the event a family member is helping with care and support. Remember that life care includes comprehensive management for maintaining the home, environment, finances, health and well-being. Life care services have a lot of stakes and having plans and being organized goes a long way.

Of course, being prepared for life care needs  does not guarantee success nor prevent problems, though it can certainly increase our chances of achieving our goals and overcoming difficulties that can arise anytime. Preparing for life care needs helps us cope with stress and uncertainty by giving us a sense of control, security, and better care. Our brains often gravitate to what is familiar, so having these conversations early may ease the stress.

In my experience as a Registered Nurse and Certified Life Care Planner, I found that many people don’t know where to begin when it comes to creating a care plan, and it can be overwhelming to talk about things which are important and reflect personal values. I created a guidebook called “7 Steps to Long Term Care Planning” which provides the framework to help you move through important conversations and design a road map for aging. Some of the topics that the guidebook covers include:

  • How to assess your current and future needs for long-term care needs. Benefits of care planning can include not only chronic health condition management but also preventative and wellness measures and quality care for lifelong health and vitality.Even nutrition and exercise can have their place in a comprehensive aging life care plan.
  • Ensuring legal documents and directives are completed, along with an exercise to determine what it is you want, so you can compare it to what you might need and be able to choose according to your own values and wishes for things such as end of life care. 
  • Exploration of the different options for life care, such as home care, nursing home, innovative programs, & other community-based services.
  • Planning for the financial and legal aspects of long-term care, such as insurance (Medicare, Medicaid), and paying for care privately. 
  • Evaluating the informal, unpaid care team that includes family & friends and comparing it to paid care team members, including professionals, and community resources.
  • Reviewing the housing needs and the age-in-place plan, beginning the process of understanding what needs to happen in a plan of care to ensure the place we grow old has everything we need to stay safe, secure, function easily, and have access to health & aging services It is also good to evaluate whether the community will support your vision for how you age and the potential needs for your aging journey to be healthy, strong, and meaningful.
  • Worksheets and templates to identify areas of importance. Create your own binder that helps you keep track of your medical history and other planning cycles. I like to refer to it as your personal life care playbook. Keep it safe, share your wishes, and refer to it regularly.