Application of Life Care Planning to Psychiatric Cases (an Ontario Perspective)

In recent years, professional rehabilitation counsellors practicing in Ontario, Canada are being asked to provide future care cost analyses/life care plans on behalf of individuals with psychiatric disabilities as a result of an accident or other incident. This article will outline the purposes of future care cost analyses/life care plans for individuals with a psychiatric disability and the challenges associated with identifying said costs. The article is intended to provide a general overview of the process of identifying the appropriateness for and development of a future care cost analysis/life care plan for a client with a psychiatric disability involved in litigation in Ontario. In general, a future care cost analysis/life care plan is based upon a comprehensive assessment of the individual, their injuries, their ongoing deficits and residual abilities. It is also a viable case management/educational tool to identify those needs for goods and services that are related to the psychiatric disability, and to establish the associated costs of life long, long term care.