Some personal injuries affect victims for the rest of their lives, such as brain injuries or spinal cord injuries that cause paralysis. These victims need detailed life care plans to help ensure they get all the medical care they need.
Below, we explain what victims and their loved ones should know about life care plans, such as when they may be needed, what is included, how the plan can be customized and who can be a life care planner.
Schmidt Kramer’s Harrisburg personal injury lawyers have been securing compensation for serious injuries for more than three decades. In all, we have obtained more than $100 million for our clients.
Our lawyers work on contingency, which means no upfront costs to victims. Your initial legal consultation is also free of charge.
Call us at (717) 727-1837 to learn about life care plans.
What Is a Life Care Plan?
A life care plan is a comprehensive guide to the long-term effects of an injury and the victim’s current and ongoing financial and medical needs.
Life care plans explain the different ways an injury causes physical or cognitive impairments. These plans also list your current and ongoing medical expenses, including the expected costs of medical treatments, therapies, caregiving, cost of daily living, equipment and other services required to ensure your quality of life.
You can think of a life care plan like a budget for a permanent or catastrophic injury. Lawyers can use these plans to help them prove the severity of their client’s injuries.
Life care planners tailor each plan to the victim’s specific needs and life expectancy. In other words, no two life care plans are the same, as some injuries are more severe than others and each injury affects victims differently.
For example, if you suffered a spinal cord injury in a car accident, your life care plan might detail the following needs:
- Surgeries and follow-up care
- Physical therapy
- Occupational therapy
- Assistive devices, such as wheelchairs or braces
- Pain management, including medications and chiropractic care
- Home modifications, such as ramps or widened hallways
- Counseling and mental health services
- Vocational rehabilitation
- Transportation services
- Regular check-ups and monitoring
- Dietary planning and guidance
- Emergency response systems
- And more
Life care plans also give lawyers a basis for determining the value of non-economic damages, like lost enjoyment of life, pain and suffering, and emotional distress.
When Does an Injury Victim Need a Life Care Plan?
Harrisburg injury victims typically need a life care plan when they have suffered a permanent or life-changing injury that requires ongoing treatment, rehabilitation and support services. For example, if you develop chronic back after a workplace accident, such as a fall at a construction site, you are probably going to need a life care plan.
These are some common situations where victims need a life care plan:
- Catastrophic Injuries: Severe injuries, such as traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries and amputations, often require long-term medical care. Medical treatment helps victims manage their injuries and potentially improve their quality of life. Catastrophic injuries are often thought of as injuries that limit your independence and ability to handle activities of daily living. These activities include walking, getting dressed, lifting things, driving, cleaning, cooking and personal grooming.
- Chronic Conditions: Injuries that result in chronic pain or long-term disabilities, such as back injuries or joint damage, may require continuous medical attention and therapy.
- Children with Severe Injuries: A life care plan is essential to address the child’s evolving medical and developmental needs.
- Injuries That Need Revision Surgery: For instance, a back injury may need to be treated with spinal fusion later in life. Some victims may need to have a joint fully replaced.
There are numerous examples of catastrophic injuries that often require life care plans:
- Third-degree burns that require skin grafts
- Neurological injuries suffered at birth
- Full or partial blindness
- Loss of hearing
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Amputations
What Is Included in a Life Care Plan?
An effective life care plan should cover all the medical care that you are likely to need for the rest of your life. This is not just medical care to treat your injury, but also to help you to manage pain and other symptoms and protect your quality of life:
- Medical Treatments: This includes surgeries, hospital stays, doctor visits and medications required to manage your injury.
- Rehabilitation Services: Physical therapy, occupational therapy and other rehabilitation services aimed at improving functionality and mobility.
- Assistive Devices: Wheelchairs, prosthetics and other assistive devices necessary for daily living.
- Home Modifications: Adjustments to your home, such as ramps and bathroom modifications, to accommodate your needs.
- Long-Term Care: Nursing care, home health aides and other long-term care services to support your ongoing needs.
- Transportation: Costs associated with transportation to medical appointments and other necessary travel.
- Medical Testing: Doctors often need to perform routine testing to monitor a severe injury as victims age. This can include blood tests, CT scans, MRIs and X-rays.
- Assisted Living: Some injured victims may need to move into a long-term care facility to more effectively manage their long-term needs.
- Childcare: You can seek compensation for the cost of childcare when you need to go get medical care.
- Vocational Needs: Your life care plan can provide for training and education to help you return to work or even to change careers.
- Medical Supplies: For example, individuals with spinal cord damage often need catheters and possibly topical ointments to help prevent pressure sores.
Who Could Be a Life Care Planner?
A life care planner is typically a medical professional with specialized training in developing long-term care plans for personal injury victims with severe injuries. For example, life care planners are often:
- Rehabilitation Specialists: Experts in physical and occupational therapy who understand the long-term needs of individuals with severe injuries.
- Nurses: Registered nurses with experience in case management and patient advocacy.
- Physicians: Doctors who specialize in the treatment of serious injuries and have extensive knowledge of medical needs.
- Vocational Experts: Professionals who can assess your ability to work and the potential need for vocational training or support.
- Psychologists or Psychotherapists: They have the expertise to evaluate the needs of people with severe mental health issues or cognitive impairments.
Life care planners could also have a background in social work, case management or osteopathic medicine.
Life care planners should have practical experience in their field and relevant certifications. You often want someone who is qualified and willing to present expert testimony in court.
How Do Life Care Planners Develop a Plan?
Developing a life care plan involves a thorough assessment of your medical condition, needs and prognosis. The process typically includes:
- Medical Evaluation: A medical evaluation is conducted to assess the extent of the injuries and your overall health.
- Needs Assessment: The life care planner evaluates your current and future medical, rehabilitation and support needs.
- Cost Analysis: The planner estimates the costs of the required services, treatments and equipment, considering inflation and other factors that may affect future expenses.
- Collaboration: The life care planner collaborates with medical professionals, therapists, and other experts to obtain their professional opinions and recommendations for the plan.
- Plan Development: The life care planner creates a detailed document outlining your long-term care needs, including a timeline and cost estimates for each service.
Did You Suffer a Long-Term Injury Due to Negligence? Call Schmidt Kramer
If you or a loved one is dealing with the effects of a serious injury, you need an experienced attorney to help you secure full compensation for medical care and other damages.
Schmidt Kramer has more than 30 years of experience representing injury victims in Harrisburg, with a long track record of results to show for it. Let us help protect your rights and get you the resources you need to move forward. Our services are provided at no upfront cost.
Call our office at (717) 727-1837 for legal assistance.