LIFE CARE PLAN  [ back to Glossary Index ]
Life Care Plan is an essential tool for any patient with a TBI following discharge from acute care, but which as a matter of practice is created mainly for patients with severe and moderate TBI and rarely for patients with a mild TBI. It is a dynamic, flexible and forward looking document containing medical diagnoses, observations and recommendations for the future care, treatment and management of the patient. It should summarize his past, current and likely future status with regard to difficulties in the areas of cognition, behavior, pain, sleep, mood, social life, sexuality, education, vocation, self-care, mobility, transportation, hobbies, recreation, fitness, and any special health care such as urinary incontinence, respiratory infections, muscle spasticity, heterotopic ossification, aggression, depression, etc. A good life care plan should provide clear guidance to treaters and caretakers as to what the patient's needs are for ongoing medical care, psychotherapy, in-home assistance or supervision and public benefits, what social situations are likely to push his buttons and should be avoided, how various medications affect him and which should be avoided, etc. It should also address what kind of person he was and is now, and where he would like to go. Aspirations to return to school, work  or a volunteer job should be honored with appropriate supports and protections. A good life care plan estimates future costs of care, medication, therapy, equipment, home modifications, in-home assistance, work place modifications, job coaching, and the like. It should also address all funding resources including private health and disability insurance, liability insurance, workers compensation, Medicare, Social Security Disability and any others.

No life care plan, even the best, is self-executing, and a case manager or similar person should be hired to administer it or train the family caregiver to do it. Provision for respite care should always be made for the family caregiver (usually a parent or spouse) to prevent physical exhaustion or emotional burnout. Not all life care planners are created equal. Long years of experience with TBI patients, certification in the field, membership in prestigious LCP organizations and solid recommendations from trusted sources are a must.