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It's not a legal document, but it's a start.
Those who want to put in writing their desires regarding life care plans can go to the Web site of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company and request a free CD containing a Letter of Intent template. The template is designed to help families start planning or supplementing life care plans for loved ones with a disability or other special need.
Created with the input of MassMutual professionals experienced in special needs planning, the template is a Word document parents and/or caregivers can customize to reflect their specific situations.
A Letter of Intent provides critical caregiving instructions to future guardians, trustees, and advocates of the person with a disability in the event of the death of a parent or caregiver. The letter is not a legal document, but it can be an effective supplement to a will or trust because it attempts to ensure that a family's wishes are understood. It offers guidance to the courts and trustees for interpreting care instructions and usually includes emergency contacts, medical history, preferred living arrangements, education or work arrangements, recreational preferences, behavioral challenges, and a summary of family and financial information.
"A Letter of Intent is a great way for families and caregivers to gather all relevant information in one place, make clear the family's intentions, and communicate important insights about the unique personality, needs, likes, and dislikes of the family member with special needs," said Randy Cushing, a special care planner whose practice is associated with Commonwealth Financial Group of Boston, a MassMutual general agency.
Cushing uses the Letter of Intent template with his clients who have special needs, and points out it's easy to update and send to relatives, caregivers, and advisors because it's an electronic file.
A Letter of Intent is particularly important in the case of children who are incapable of expressing their own needs and wants to caregivers and others, as is the case, for example, with many children with autism.
"The Letter of Intent can help ensure parental intentions and desires are clear to any and all caregivers, even in the event of a parent's sudden disability or premature death," noted Joanne Gruszkos, director of the SpecialCareSM program at MassMutual. "Often, families understandably become so focused on day-to-day needs that they lose sight of the larger life-care issues and the costs that loom ahead. A Letter of Intent can help focus the family on the future."
Visitors to the MassMutual site can obtain additional free information, such as: - Making Plans, a financial guide for people with Down syndrome and their families.
- 2007 Resource Guide, the source of information published by MassMutual for people with disabilities and other special needs.
- With Open Arms, a financial guide for families with disabilities.
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