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If you or a loved one have been seriously injured due to someone else’s negligence and plan to file a personal injury claim, developing a life care plan can help you to maximize the amount of funds that you are able to recover in your case.

What Is a Life Care Plan?

According to the International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals, a life care plan is “a dynamic document based upon published standards of practice, comprehensive assessment, data analysis, and research, which provides an organized, concise plan for current and future needs with associated costs for individuals who have experienced catastrophic injury or have chronic health care needs.” In summary, a life care plan is a document that details the lifetime needs of an individual with a chronic disability.

The plan is written by a certified life care planner, who, in addition to having a background in a health specialty, also has the additional certification of being a life care planner. Some backgrounds of life care planners include rehabilitation counselors, nurses, social workers, physical therapists, counselors and occupational therapists.

The life care planner reviews the individual’s medical records, any special equipment they need, daily care requirements, necessary adaptations to their home or transportation, employment records, and (if applicable) school records. They interview the individual, their family members, doctors, other healthcare providers, and any other relevant individuals to develop a full picture of the individual’s daily and lifetime needs. They also research and assign a cost to each element of the individual’s life. The end result is a comprehensive document that details nearly every facet of a disabled person’s life now and projected into the future and the lifetime costs they will incur as a result of this.

Why A Life Care Plan is Important

Due to its comprehensive nature, the life care plan is an excellent vehicle to educate the opposing side, judge, and jury on the severity of someone’s injuries and why they need the funding they are requesting.

• The plan clearly identifies all of the medical issues the individual is experiencing and their life impact, so the opposing side, judge, and jury more easily understand the severity of the injuries and their toll on the individual’s life moving forward.
• When asking the opposing side or the court for hundreds of thousands, or millions, of dollars in compensation, some people may think that the injured person is trying to make money off of a bad situation. The life care plan shows concrete reasoning for why you are asking for that specific dollar amount.

If you or a loved one is contemplating filing a personal injury claim, contact the experienced attorneys at Cutler-Rader to determine if a life care plan is the right option for you.

Rader Law Group, LLC

With decades and decades combined experience, the attorneys at Rader Law Group understand the meaning of Justice. Our one and only mission is to get each client the justice he or she deserves; our team of attorneys never back down when we know our client is right.
We offer our clients the compassion and guidance they need as they work through trying times in their lives. The balance of working relentlessly for our clients combined with our caring approach has helped us achieve a fantastic record of success with our clients. We get our clients the justice they deserve.

At Rader Law Group, You matter. Your justice matters. Your Justice Starts Here. 954-913-2273.

References Used:
International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals. What is Life Care Planning – LCP (rehabpro.org). Accessed July 1, 2021.

You are shopping at a grocery store. As you walk down the aisle, looking for your favorite kind of cookies, you come around the corner and, not knowing anything is amiss, you slip on a spill of canola oil, that has been leaking from the shelf for quite some time. Your feet fly out from under you, and you strike your head on the hard, concrete floor. You have a slight headache, but otherwise feel ok. Are you really ok though?

Traumatic Brain Injuries – A Hidden Danger

What you might think is just a headache could actually be a traumatic brain injury (TBI). The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke defines a TBI as “a form of acquired brain injury [that] occurs when a sudden trauma causes damage to the brain.” It can be caused when the head forcefully hits another object or when an object breaks through the skull and injures the brain tissues (e.g., a bullet) . This kind of injury occurs in slip and fall incidents, car crashes, and other traumatic situations.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 165 Americans die each day from a TBI and another 613 are hospitalized. Of those that sustain a nonfatal TBI, the Florida Violence and Injury Prevention Program found that the median length of hospital stay was three days, and the median hospital admissions charge was $48,794.

Symptoms of a Traumatic Brain Injury

A Traumatic Brain Injury can cause mild, moderate, or severe damage. Signs of a mild TBI include:

• Headache
• Nausea/vomiting
• Fatigue
• Speech problems
• Dizziness / loss of balance
• Blurred vision
• Ringing in the ears
• Change in the ability to smell or taste
• Sensitivity to light / sound
• Loss of consciousness for up to a few minutes
• Appearing dazed or disorientated
• Memory or concentration problems
• Mood swings / feeling depressed or anxious
• Changes in sleeping patterns

Signs of a moderate to severe Traumatic Brain Injury can include all the mild TBI symptoms as well as:

The symptoms can vary based on the type of injury, its severity, and location within the brain. While some symptoms can appear immediately, others may take weeks to appear.

So is that headache after falling just a headache or a TBI? Only a doctor can tell. It’s essential to seek medical attention right away after hitting your head. Additionally, even if the doctor tells you that it is not a TBI, make sure to be on the lookout for other TBI symptoms that may develop over time because TBIs are often misdiagnosed at the initial medical appointment.

A TBI can change the trajectory of your life. If you or a loved one believe that you have suffered a TBI due to someone else’s negligence, contact Rader Law Group for a free case evaluation. We will fight to make sure you receive justice for your injuries.

Rader Law Group, LLC

With decades and decades combined experience, the attorneys at Rader Law Group understand the meaning of Justice. Our one and only mission is to get each client the justice he or she deserves; our team of attorneys never back down when we know our client is right.
We offer our clients the compassion and guidance they need as they work through trying times in their lives. The balance of working relentlessly for our clients combined with our caring approach has helped us achieve a fantastic record of success with our clients. We get our clients the justice they deserve.

At Rader Law Group, You matter. Your justice matters. Your Justice Starts Here. 954-913-2273.

References Used:
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Traumatic Brain Injury Information Page | National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (nih.gov). Accessed June 4, 2021.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Traumatic Brain Injury Information Page | National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (nih.gov). Accessed June 4, 2021.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Let’s Prevent Traumatic Brain Injury | CDC. Accessed June 4, 2021.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Surveillance Report (cdc.gov). Page 12. Accessed June 4, 2021.
Florida Violence and Injury Prevention Program. TBI_8.5×11 (floridahealth.gov). Accessed June 4, 2021.
Mayo Clinic. Traumatic brain injury – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic. Accessed June 4, 2021.
Mayo Clinic. Traumatic brain injury – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic. Accessed June 4, 2021.