Planning for the future
My Plan participants of Lifetime Care and Self-management: Managing your own supports.
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My Plan participants of Lifetime Care
Use My Plan to work out the assistance and support you’ll need to plan for the things that are important to you following a severe motor accident injury.
My Plan is the planning tool used by Lifetime Care to help you:
- tell us the things you want to do
- identify the assistance and support you need
- identify what you will do to work towards the goals you have set.
My Plan is a dynamic tool that can help you communicate your aspirations, goals, work out the steps you need to take, and the supports that you need. My Plan is particularly helpful for people early on in their rehabilitation or whose needs are changing. It can also be useful when planning around major events (or anything that requires planning).
We know that everyone’s situations and needs evolve and a My Plan may need to change or may not be needed all the time. My Plan is there for when you need it.
If you feel that a My Plan may not be helpful for you, please speak with your Case Manager or icare Contact directly if you require services. Remember, you can always use a My Plan, even if you have not used one for some time.
A case manager or your support person at Lifetime Care is available to guide you through My Plan.
My Plan is your plan. It's a useful tool to plan for the things that are important to you.
- Preparation – Think
- Development – Write
- Implementation – Do
Three phases of My Plan
Resources
Self-management: Managing your own supports
You may be able to manage aspects of your care independently if you have been a Lifetime Care participant for a couple of years, have moved past the 'interim' stage and your care needs are stable.
Managing your own supports
icare Lifetime Care assists people to regain skills and become independent following a serious injury. For some people, this means taking control and managing their own supports. This is Greg’s story.What is self-management?
Self-management gives Lifetime Care participants the ability to choose their own support providers and to organise their own care team.
When you have been a participant for a couple of years, your needs may be more stable, compared to the early stages after your injury.
Lifetime Care has a range of self-management options available to participants who are considered suitable, to support you to move beyond rehabilitation and develop independence as you readjust to normal life. You may be able to manage some or all the supports in your My Plan.
Self-managing participants accept more responsibility when they manage their own supports. Participants have a set budget for their treatment and care services for a period, which is used to obtain the supports needed.
It is important to consider if you want to assume that responsibility and the impact that managing your own supports has on your time.
Suitability for self-management
Lifetime Care assesses several factors to ensure self-management is appropriate. These are outlined in more detail below. If you are interested in self-management, you can discuss suitability and options with your icare contact.
Self-management options
There are four options in self-management. You can discuss which option may be suitable for you with your icare contact.
Setting up for self-management
Whichever option of self-management is considered suitable for you, icare can arrange tailored training from Living My Way. Living My Way has been supporting people with disabilities to live a self-directed life since 1992.
Living My Way will support participants to consider their needs, help them with choosing an appropriate care provider and equip them with the skills they need to manage their own supports.
About Living My Way
In 2022, icare commenced working with Living My Way to support Lifetime Care participants in the management of their own care.
Living My Way provides people with disabilities the assistance and guidance to self-manage their own care, giving people control and independence in organising their care.
Learn more about Living My Way
Learn how Andrew coordinates his care through Living My Way (story and video)
Testimonials from people who have used Living My Way services
"Living My Way helped me to get my life together again and allowed me to do what I want to do." – Lucelle
“When you have a good support coordinator, it makes it a lot easier to achieve your goals. The goals you set with the team can be achieved, because there is a professional team finding ways for you to get there.” – Mark
“Living My Way is my go-to because they always know the answer and if they don't know the answer, then they go and find out for me.” – Andrew
Is self-management appropriate for you?
If you are thinking about self-management, there are some considerations about who can and can’t apply for self-management.
To manage your own supports, you need to meet the following basic criteria:
- be a Lifetime Care (not interim) participant
- your care and support needs are sufficiently stable and predictable
- be over 18 years of age
- not bankrupt (this consideration is not necessary if choosing the supported self-management option).
If you meet the basic criteria, we'll carry out further assessment to consider whether self-management is suitable for you. This will cover things like:
- whether you have a publicly-appointed guardian or a financial management order in place
- whether you are able to manage the tasks involved in self-management
- whether self-management would place you at an unacceptable risk of abuse, neglect or harm, and whether any significant risks to you can be managed
- whether you have a demonstrated ability to work positively with your service providers.
Nominee arrangements
You may also want to consider having another person manage your supports on your behalf. This is known as a nominee arrangement.
Nominee arrangements can be considered in some circumstances and are supported by our partner, Living My Way. Talk to your coordinator if you are interested in this option.
Safeguarding plan
If you meet the basic requirements for Self-Management, your Lifetime Care contact will work with you to complete a safeguarding plan for managing your own supports.
A safeguarding plan is designed to make sure you won’t be placed at an unreasonable level of risk in the circumstances and that you have access to the right help you need to manage your supports.