Home - Planned Lifetime Assistance Network of New Jersey, Inc.- PLAN/NJ

Updated 03/20/2020: During times of crisis, people with significant disabilities are uniquely vulnerable. The PLAN/NJ Board of Directors and staff continue to monitor the Coronavirus pandemic and its current and potential effects on our clients and community and are following all recommendations for “essential businesses” that are provided by health and governmental authorities. We are rapidly increasing our use of digital tools that will enable us to oversee individuals’ safety and health. We are making swift decisions on their behalf as needed to ensure their important needs are met. For Guardianship, Home-Visit Monitoring and Advocacy clients, we continue to survey each group home, health facility and partner organization to ensure they are following all best practices. We are collaborating across service sectors to plan for the best protections that will assure our clients and families can maintain their health and well-being. We are monitoring directives and recommendations provided by the Centers for Disease Control, the New Jersey Department of Health, the office of the Governor of New Jersey, the Division of Developmental Disabilities, among others.

We recommend that families who have loved ones with disabilities arm themselves with information and suggestions. We will update this information whenever possible.

Here is a useful link from the CDC with special considerations for individuals with disabilities and those living in long-term care facilities: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/specific-groups/high-risk-complications.html#who-is-higher-risk
And a wonderful ‘plain language’ resource developed by and for people with disabilities to answer essential questions about COVID-19 and how to stay safe: https://selfadvocacyinfo.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Plain-Language-Information-on-Coronavirus-accessible-.pdf
The Disability Scoop: https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2020/03/17/coronavirus-brings-added-worries-disabilities/27989/

This is a rapidly changing situation and we want to assure you that nothing is more important to us than the safety of our clients, staff and families. If there are concerns please don’t hesitate to call our office at 908-575-8300 ext. 2. Please check back for updates.

WHO WILL CARE FOR MY LOVED ONE WHEN I AM GONE?

LIFETIME ADVOCACY FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Planned Lifetime Assistance of New Jersey (PLAN/NJ) is a unique, not-for-profit agency that provides practical solutions, thus lessening the fear and anxiety families experience when planning for the future.

We help deliver the legal, financial, and independent living supports people need and deserve.

Our services ensure that people with disabilities are safe, secure, and thriving, now and in the future.

PLAN/NJ is proud to serve people with intellectual, developmental, psychiatric and physical disabilities. Each year, we share a story of a person who has benefited from a care coordination or Guardianship relationship with PLAN/NJ. This year’s story is about Randy, who for decades has had no relatives to oversee his care. We hope his story illustrates the many ways he thrives today, thanks to PLAN/NJ’s compassionate oversight and guidance toward self-determination, which is his right. Please consider a gift to help PLAN/NJ support more people with disabilities and their families. Make an online donation at plannj.org/donate or complete the form and mail it in with a check for your donation.

A haircut, a cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich -- these are little things that most people take for granted. But for Randy, these small amenities mean the world to him. The opportunity to take walks in the neighborhood and make choices of his own are the small daily activities that make his life “happen.”

PLAN/NJ was introduced to Randy several years ago at a state psychiatric hospital when we were providing another resident with home visit monitoring services. An on-site social worker knew that Randy, a friendly, soft-spoken man, was without any immediate family members, and asked if we could help him. With a schizophrenia diagnosis, he had lived at this facility for more than 40 years.He needed a legal guardian – an advocate to help him live in the least restrictive environment possible-- while remaining protected and kept from harm. PLAN/NJ stepped in because we knew he was capable of more, and could lead a more satisfying life.

Once PLAN/NJ was appointed as Randy’s legal Guardian, we advocated for him to leave the hospital and move into a home that was better suited to his needs, where he could live with adequate supports and be part of his community. At his new home, he enjoys the freedom to take walks, eat in restaurants and participate in group activities. He is thriving and is well-liked by his peers and staff. He is able to go on outings with his Service Coordinator to get a haircut, have his nails trimmed, or have coffee and a breakfast sandwich. She makes sure he continues to receive comprehensive medical care, and that his living arrangements remain a safe and well-suited place for him to live. Oversight and having someone to call in an emergency is often essential to an individual’s sense of safety and security, and we provide Randy the assurance that his individualized needs will be met, his preferences will be observed, and that he continues to feel protected from danger. PLAN/NJ has been his guardian for years and he has never returned to the psychiatric hospital. Randy’s continued happiness comes from the events that fill his daily life, and we are thrilled we can help him in these ways.

PLAN/NJ provides care coordination and fiduciary services for nearly 1,000 people with disabilities in New Jersey. We serve many individuals with significant disabilities with vital services and supports at no cost because they are in need. Please consider an end-of-year gift to PLAN/NJ to help us serve more people with significant disabilities and their families. Thank you for your contribution!