What is Future Planning?
Our future planning program is designed to help people with disabilities and their families create a clear plan of action for life’s many changes. It’s never easy talking about the future, but it is important to make sure all the appropriate supports are in place to ensure a sustainable lifestyle and a secure future for your loved one. Our Future Planning Program assists you and your family in collecting helpful information while making plans that you can share with siblings or other relatives who may need to step in to assist you in the future. While no one likes to consider their mortality, there is tremendous peace of mind in knowing you’ve made plans that will benefit your entire family.
Structured Planning Support Designed for You
Making sure a loved one with disabilities has a safe and secure future takes planning and effort. There is a lot of information to absorb which can feel overwhelming and intimidating. Our Future Planning Program helps provide that information in manageable sections over a period of six months. At the end of our program, our clients have the information, resources, and confidence they need to take meaningful steps to secure their future and will have a complete plan that can be shared with others and modified as needed if their circumstances change.
Our Future Planning Facilitators
Our Future Planning Facilitators are trained Disability Support Specialists who specialize in helping our program participants navigate the systems, supports, and resources they will need to effectively support a person with a disability throughout their lifetime. Our facilitators provide education and help guide conversations about the strengths, barriers, dreams, and fears of the person with disabilities and everyone involved in their support team to ensure a secure future for our clients.
Getting Started with Our Future Planning Program
After enrolling in the Future Planning Program, one of our facilitators will reach out to introduce themselves and schedule our first meeting. Our meetings can be held in person, virtually, or a combination thereof depending on your needs and the needs of your team. Prior to the initial meeting, you will receive a Future Planning binder and jump drive where you can keep all your educational material, notes, resources, and other critical information in both print and digital format.
We Focus on What Matters Most
Our Future Planning Program takes place over the course of six months. During this time, we will schedule six meetings to create a plan for how you will:
Finance your future
Decide where to live
Find ways to make social connections
Get support in your decision making
Find meaningful employment and daily activities
During each meeting, your Future Planning Facilitator will present information on one of the topics above and explain how that can impact you and your family. In between meetings, you and your support team will work through the corresponding topic section on the online portal and begin making plans using the information we have covered. While our facilitators will not complete your steps with you, they will provide the information and resources you need to pursue the plan you are creating as a team.
Financing The Future
Wisconsin has robust funding, supports and services to offer the disability community. Not all options will be accessible or work for each person though. Our Future Planning Program provides thorough and understandable education around each resource.
Work with your Future Planning Facilitator to explore financial opportunities like:
- Social Security and Medicaid
- Special needs trusts
- ABLE accounts
- Rep payees
- And more!
Our facilitators will assist in determining a financial plan of action for your lifetime. Navigating these options can be tricky while staying within guidelines of each funding option but with the right combination to support your life’s changing needs, we are certain that you will be able to make the most informed choices as you and your team work toward your goals.
Deciding Where To Live
Work with your facilitator to investigate your housing options and potential sources for support, funding, and your desired community lifestyle. While we will focus a lot on the types of housing and funding options available to you, we will also explore what kind of lifestyle you want to have including:
- Opportunities for roommates
- City life versus rural living
- Transportation needs and supports
- Your desired level of community engagement
- Proximity to your social life
- Employment opportunities
- and other daily needs
Making Social Connections
Your life should be more than a series of daily tasks that help you survive another circle around the sun. We believe that all people have the right to a healthy, balanced, multidimensional life. It is about enjoying the lives we build for ourselves, the friendships we cherish, and the memories we make along our journey. We know our clients want more than just a job, a place to live, and food on the table.
Together, we’ll explore:
- Community resources
- Opportunities for social activities
- Friendship building
- Developing a circle of support
We will ask the difficult, and sometimes uncomfortable, questions about social connections, romantic relationships, co-workers, and neighbors to help you build a supportive social circle and cover what supports you need to explore new relationships.
Supporting Daily & Major Decisions
Until a few years ago, guardianship was the only option for a person with disabilities who needed support in making their own daily or major life decisions. Today, there are several options available that we’ll explore together to help you find just the right level of support you need without overstepping your right to self-determination.
We will cover:
- Available types of decision-making support
- Supported decision makers
- Guardianship
- Successor guardians and co-guardians
- Power of attorney
Our facilitators will help you navigate these conversations with everyone involved in your support team so you can make a plan that works for you and your support system.
Employment and Daily Activities
There are fewer accessible opportunities for the disability community to engage in stimulating, desired day-to-day activities like employment, daily activities, and the necessary errands needed to maintain an independent living. Your facilitator will present various ideas to help you and your support team get your creative juices flowing. We’ll encourage your team to think beyond adult day care and safety measures.
Together, we will review opportunities like:
- Vocational rehabilitation services
- Other employment services
We will explore the systems of support that can help you reach your goals regardless of your support need. Because our facilitators navigate a multitude of systems on a daily basis, they can efficiently help you and your team pursue opportunities for successful employment and enjoyable daily activities.
Let’s Talk About Your Needs and Goals
We’re here to be an integral part of your support team. That means getting to know you and finding out exactly what you want so we can get there together. Let’s connect and get started!