A Care Plan is a comprehensive, individualized description of your family members' life and needs. It is a guide to future care-givers, informing them of whatever you think they should know to fill in for you when you can no longer provide care.

A Care Plan describes the special-needs person, his/her needs, history, tastes, likes and dislikes, medication, favorites and preferences, needs. It describes the government benefits and programs he/she utilizes, the doctors he sees, the counselors she has visited, his diagnosis, her family contacts and friends.

If well-prepared, a Care Plan can ensure that a follow-on Care Giver can hit the ground running, and provide a continuity quality of care, keeping your loved one safe, happy, and on the road to recovery.

Care Plans do not substitute for a carefully-drafted Special Needs Trust. Rather, it helps direct and shape the trust, and aids those who will be using the trust funds for the best interests of the beneficiary.