-By Roger O. Weed, Debra E. Berens –
Reviewed by: Cloie B. Johnson
In this fourth edition Dr. Weed and Dr. Berens have again partnered as co-editors, enlisting 42 contributors, to provide a comprehensive resource for up to date issues in case management and life care planning. The intended audience is anyone who interfaces with life care planning. Consumers would include families, clients, medical/allied health care professionals, and representatives of the legal profession. The editors have enhanced the material last updated in 2009 and added chapters on multi-cultural considerations in life care planning, admissibility of life care plans in U.S. Courts, Canadian life care planning practice, medical coding and costing for life care planners, life care planning in non-litigated contexts, as well as research and education within life care planning. Further expanding their efforts for comprehensiveness, that have included the updated Standards of Practice, 3rd Edition, Consensus and Majority Statements derived from Summits since 2000, and tools for life care planners.
As in the prior editions, the book opens with an overview of Life Care Planning: Past Present and Future. The roles of life care plan team members are described in the first section with updated chapters on the role of the Physiatrist, Rehabilitation Nurse, Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, Psychologist, Neuropsychologist, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, Speech-Language Pathologist and Assistive Technologist, Audiologist, and Economist. Updated information is provided on issues such as training/qualifications, areas of expertise (with implications for life care planning), and an explanation of the recommended knowledge base for each profession. Each chapter provides the reader a table of contents, introduction, conclusion, and reference portion as well as where relevant, Appendices and Tables. New authors were incorporated to provide updated and additional information. Expansion of the chapter Speech-Language Pathologist and Assistive Technology (AT) provides for the inclusion of practitioners who are taking an active role in the coordination of a life care plan.
The second section provides material on topics and issues specific to selected disabilities including their classification, types of injury, definitions of terms, valuation considerations, treatment options, and complications. Chapters are provided on the specific life care planning needs of persons who have sustained Amputation, Acquired Brain Injury, Burn Patient, Depressive Disorders, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Schizophrenia, Chronic Pain, Spinal Cord Injury, Organ Transplantation, Visual Impairment and who require Elder Care Management. The chapters are consistent with past editions; however in this edition Life Care Planning for individuals with HIV/AIDS was removed.
Each chapter again includes a table of contents with an introduction, conclusion and references as well as a case study. The third section is titled Forensic Considerations, although Dr. Weed makes it very clear that life care planning, while not solely used in litigation, has unique aspects to be aware of when involved in the
forensic setting. The use of life care plans is varied, however in the forensic or litigation setting there are issues to be aware of when one encounters a life care plan. The section provides specific aspects of forensic issues, perspectives from an individual with an impairment, as well as a Plaintiff and Defense attorney, which provides first- hand experience and insight into the implications of life care planning. Updates to the chapters on Life Care Planning and the Elder Law Attorney, and Day-in-the-Life Video Production are included, The chapter on Ethical Considerations is also placed in this section versus the section on General Issues.
The fourth section focusing on General Issues, is a potpourri of information with relevant inclusion and enhancement from prior versions. Reliability of Life Care Plans; A Comparison of Original and Updated Plans; Americans with Disabilities Act, Life Care Planning Resources, Medical Equipment Choices, Home Assessment, Vehicle Modifications, Admissibility, Cultural Considerations and Life Care Planning in Canada comprise the last formal section of this book. The chapter on Credentialing is relocated from a fifth section, and the breadth of the specific areas included in this section allowed for the removal of a chapter regarding Other Issues in Life Care Planning. Appendices are added for the benefit of the reader with access to the references readily applicable to the reader. As is the prior edition, the Standards of Practice for Life Care Planners in included, however there is now the addition of the Consensus and Majority Statements Derived from Life Care Planning Summits Held in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2015 both reprinted from the Journal of Life Care Planning in Appendix I and Appendix II. The third Appendix is the Journal of Life Care Planning Title Index provided chronologically. The Bibliography of Life Care Planning and Related Publications was removed. The final two sections are indices of author and subjects. This provides the reader a quick reference. I was struck with the voluminous amount of information and resources within each chapter and section.
Drs. Weed and Berens have again provided a comprehensive resource, not only for the novice and experienced Life Care Planner, but also for the team of medical, rehabilitation, vocational, and legal professionals who develop life care plan and interact with them through their work. The 1st edition was 502 pages and the 3rd edition was 984 pages; this 4th edition is fewer at 904 pages, but continues to concisely reflect the growth and interest in the development and implementation of a life care plan and the practice of case management. The text is a worthwhile investment for keeping up to date for professionals involved in case management and life care planning.
About the Reviewer
Cloie B. Johnson is a Rehabilitation Counselor and Case Manager at OSC Vocational Systems, Inc. in Bothell, WA. Cloie has chaired or co-chaired the Summits in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 17. She is also a past Chair of the IALCP the LCP Section of IARP and the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award in Life Care Planning.