Future Care Planning

Parents and family members of people with developmental disabilities often worry about what will happen to their loved ones when they're gone. Planning for the future in advance can make the process easier. Read more for tools to use and ideas to consider when making decisions about future care.

1. Future Care Planning: A Roadmap for Family Caregivers

A workbook created by the Sonoran UCEDD at The University of Arizona to guide a caregiver's thoughts and discussion about future care planning. It also serves as a resource for other family members and service providers, so they can provide support as a caregiver goes through the planning process.

2. Caring Conversations: Making Your Wishes Known for End-of-Life Care

Caring Conversations^® is a consumer education initiative deisgned by the Center for Practical Bioethics that helps individuals and their families share meaningful conversation while making practical preparations for end-of-life decisions. No matter what your age or health condition, it is important to think about how you want to be cared for during the end of life.This documents is designed to help you and your family and friends through this process.

3. 5-Wishes

"5 Wishes" is a well-conceived booklet on advance planning for medical care and end-of-life decisions by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Wishes 3-5 are what make Five Wishes different from all other advance directives in that they deal with the personal, spiritual and family concerns that people say matter most. There are currently 15 million copies of Five Wishes in national circulation, distributed by some 23,000 partner organizations nationwide.