Rutherford-Owen, T., Barros-Bailey, M. & Weed, R.O., (Eds.). (2023). Life Care Planning and Case Management Across the Lifespan (5th edition). New York, NY: Routledge, (www.routledge.com), Cat. #: Requested, ISBN: 978103219233, 1004 pp., $240.00 plus shipping.
Drs. Rutherford-Owen, Barros-Bailey and Weed have collaborated as co-editors and contributors, enlisting 52 additional contributors, to provide a comprehensive resource for up to date issues in case management and life care planning. The 5th edition of the Life Care Planning and Case Management Handbook is re-titled, but a furtherance of the Life Care Planning and Case Management Handbook previously published in 4 editions. This version is renamed to address the comprehensive nature of life care planning for individuals of all ages throughout their life. In the 4th edition, 28 new contributors were involved to update from the 3rd edition; in the 5th edition an impressive outreach to 39 new contributors were utilized to expand and update the various sections. 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 2018 and added new material. While still presented in sections, the material is reorganized and the appendices and indices are included after each chapter, not at the end of the book as previously presented.
As in the prior editions, the book opens with an overview of Life Care Planning: Past Present and Future. A re-organization occurs to focus the first section on historical, methodological and professional issues and research in life care planning. This serves as an excellent foundation to life care planning. There is new and updated information provided on issues such as methodology, scope of practice, standards of practice and consensus in life care planning, research, credentialing, ethics and multicultural an cross cultural considerations for life care planning. It is noted the chapter on credentialing in life care planning addresses only certain credentials, and excludes other certification that have been accepted by the courts in the past; including ABVE, CCM, CDMS and CRC (Field et al., 2007, p. 10; Johnson & Woodard, 2022, p. 41). Each chapter provides the reader an introduction, conclusion, references and where relevant, Appendices and Tables. As in the prior edition, the most recent Standards of Practice for Life Care Planners, now 4th Edition (IALCP, 2022) and the Consensus and Majority Statements (Johnson et al., 2018) are presented, however now appropriately within the first section as Appendices A and B respectively.
The second section provides material on life care planning across the life span addressing pediatric and elder care management. The pediatric chapter is adapted largely from the 2011 Pediatric Life Care Planning and Case Management Handbook. The elder care management in life care planning section addresses aging related issues and provides many resources for the reader to contemplate.
The third section is now titled The Transdisciplinary Team. The roles of life care plan team members are described as were previously in the first section in other editions. The similar chapters remain on the roles of the Physiatrist, Rehabilitation Nurse, Neuropsychologist, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, and Economist. Subtle changes were made to include removing Vocational from Rehabilitation Counselor, Psychologist was removed, Neurologist was added, Speech-Language Pathologist and Audiologists were combined, Prosthetist was added and Assistive Technologist was removed to another section and combined with Durable Medical Equipment, and Transportation.
The fourth section focuses on physical, mental and cognitive conditions, appropriately renamed from Selected Disabilities: Topics and Issues with emphasis on the condition and not labeling the person. These chapters are more concisely organized and updated to include up to date references, charts and checklists. Chapters focus on the specific life care planning needs of persons who have sustained Amputation, Acquired Brain Injury, Burns, Mental Health Disorders, (removing Depressive Disorders, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Schizophrenia chapters), Chronic Pain, Spinal Cord Injury, Visual Impairment and Brachial Plexus injuries.
Added to this section are specific aspects of forensic issues, admissibility considerations, perspectives from a plaintiff and defense attorney, special education law and practices for the pediatric life care planner, special needs planning, assistive technology, durable medical equipment and transportation as well as a personal perspective of life care planning and lastly life care planning costing, literature and summary of resources. 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 an introduction, conclusion and references as well as a case study. Removed entirely from the prior edition were topics such as Reliability of Life Care Plans; A Comparison of Original and Updated Plans; Americans with Disabilities Act, Home Assessment, Vehicle Modifications, and Life Care Planning in Canada. The last chapter is one of the more fascinating as Dr. Barros-Bailey provides 56 pages of resources derived from a critical appraisal of literature from 2017 to 2022 on selected topics.
Dr. Weed with newly added co-editors Dr. Rutherford Owen and Dr. Barros- Bailey 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 plans and interact with them through their work. This 5th edition has more than doubled in size since the 1st edition at 502 pages, and continues to concisely reflect the growth and interest in the development and implementation of a life care plan and the practice of case management throughout the life span. The text is a worthwhile investment for keeping up to date for professionals involved in case management and life care planning.