Quality of life becomes an elusive goal for those elders experiencing declining health and greater dependence upon others for help with basic activities of daily living.

Quality becomes an even greater challenge given the maze of long-term care planning, financing and access, and the challenges faced by those residing in care settings. When considering quality of life for yourself or your loved ones, choose the Life Care Plan. The gold standard for care, the Life Care Plan provides families with welcome relief from worries before, during, and after a love one’s transition to long-term care, whether at home or in a facility.

We plan for the best life possible. Yet, all too often in this planning, we put off thinking out our final chapter for living well with peace of mind and without crisis. Consider this: Research shows that 70 percent of Americans would prefer to be at home with loved ones in their final days, yet only about 25 percent die at home. And, the most requested legal advice is how to deal with long-term care needs and end-of-life issues – amidst a family crisis.

In the midst of care crises families are often overwhelmed. A substantial body of research shows that family members who provide care to individuals with chronic or disabling conditions are themselves at risk. Emotional, mental, and physical health problems arise from complex caregiving situations and the strains of caring for frail or disabled relatives. In fact, elderly spousal caregivers (aged 66-96) who experience caregiving-related stress have a 63% higher mortality rate than non-caregivers of the same age. (Schulz, R. & Beach, S. (1999). Caregiving as a risk factor for mortality: The Caregiver Health Effects Study, JAMA, 282: 2215-2219.)

Your Life Care Plan is more than a service. It is an ongoing relationship with a team of caring, committed professionals with expertise in Elder Law, geriatric care and community benefits and resources. Our multi-disciplinary team will help you navigate this important planning for the best possible life. We help to get your loved one the care he or she needs. A Life Care Plan plugs you into our network of community services and resources. A Life Care Plan increases the chances that your loved one can age in place. Life Care Planning puts all your legal and financial affairs in order, and empowers you with a network of support that will help you navigate the legal, health care and long-term care transitions that arise.

The Life Care Plan is different from other business dealing you may have had with a lawyer, as most lawyers deal in “transactions.” That means you pay a fee to a lawyer for a transaction and once the transaction is completed the legal representation ends.

A Life Care Plan with the team a Franklin & Kyle Elder Law is a relationship. Although we do legal documents for you, help you with accessing and advocating for good care, and represent you in the application for public benefits, those services form part of our relationship with you-but none of them in and of itself is a relationship.

In our Life Care Plan relationship, we provide you with a roadmap to find, get and pay for long-term care and preserve family wealth. We advocate for quality care, and provide ongoing elder care-coordination for your elder. You don’t have to figure this out all by yourself. You don’t have to do this alone.

The Life Care Plan Team helps you every step of the way to locate, access and pay for care, and to support the best quality of life for your elder and for you.