Peace
of Mind for Families
"PLAN
network members help my son in many ways
so he is not dependent on me"
Lifetime
Member
What
This Element Means
PLAN
was created to provide peace of mind to families asking the question,
What happens to my relative with a disability when I die? PLAN's founders
came together because the future was uncertain and frightening. In
spite of the programs and services they had pioneered in the community
living field, they had no peace of mind when they thought of the future.
Through years of experience they learned how unpredictable government
funding is and saw how programs and services can be impersonal and
uncaring. They recognized that a good life for their relative and
peace of mind for families required the presence of many loving, caring,
unpaid relationships.
To consider how effectively PLAN is meeting its commitment of peace
of mind for families, the audit explored family confidence in the
continuity of PLAN, lifetime member satisfaction with services and
support from PLAN, and the value of planning for the future.
The
Findings
1.
Family confidence in the continuity of PLAN
90% confidence in PLAN's financial sustainability
70% confidence in PLAN's ability to maintain networks
83% confidence PLAN will continue to meet relative's needs in the
future
27% of networks operate without the active participation of parents
or other family members
In
4 of the 84 networks, both parents are deceased.
2.
Satisfaction with services and support
Satisfaction
with support in planning:
representation agreements - 100%
will and estates planning - 95%
future planning consultation - 91%
home ownership - 87%
advocacy - 93%
Effectiveness
of facilitator support in:
organizing meetings - 80%
fostering good relationships - 79%
communicating with the family - 77%
encouraging the participation of network members - 72%
3.
Planning for the future
79% of families feel less isolated
93% of families feel supported
86% of families feel more hopeful about the future
67% have greater peace of mind since joining PLAN (27% are undecided).
4.
Importance of PLAN's values in achieving its mission
100% of families believe relationships form the foundation for a safe
and secure future
100% of families believe it is important they direct and monitor the
services offered by PLAN
100% of families believe it is important that people with disabilities
are recognized for their contributions
90% of families believe independence from direct government funding
makes PLAN effective and accountable, but only 70% believe it is required.
Analysis
Given
the pace of change and uncertainty about the future that affects all
of society, PLAN has taken on a considerable challenge in its efforts
to provide peace of mind for families. As a result of PLAN's work,
a majority of families are more hopeful about the future, are less
isolated, and are confident that PLAN will continue to meet their
relative's needs in the future.
These
are significant accomplishments especially in light of the individual
nature of peace of mind. For many parents, peace of mind is elusive
at the best of times and worrying about the well-being of our family
is simply a part of what we have always done. As one lifetime member
recently put it, "I don't think we parents will ever have complete
peace of mind. But with PLAN the load gets lighter."
In
spite of the depth of the challenge and our significant accomplishments
to date, the overall ratings related to peace of mind by families
needs to be addressed. One of the most challenging findings is the
67% of families who reported they have greater peace of mind and the
27% of families who were undecided.
Peace
of mind seems to correlate directly with network activity and performance.
For example, 70% of families have confidence in PLAN's ability to
maintain their relative's network and 70% are satisfied with their
relative's network. In turn, these figures correlate with the facilitator
turnover rate of 35%. The time it can often take to recruit a new
facilitator may also have some bearing. Communication about roles
and relationships could be another influencing factor as each network
usually struggles in the early years to find its unique path to meeting
family dreams and expectations.
Another
explanation for these figures could be in the length of time a network
has been functioning. Thirty two percent of all PLAN networks are
under two years old. Do families with established networks (two to
four years or more) have more peace of mind? Cross tabulating these
results in future audits will help PLAN determine an appropriate course
of action.
Targets
for 2004
- 75%
of families will report greater peace of mind
- 80%
of families will be confident in PLAN's ability to maintain their
relative's network.
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