What is PLANCTX?
PLAN of Central Texas, Inc. (PLANCTX) is a not for profit 501(c)(3) service agency that assists individuals with mental health challenges, as well as their entire families, to address immediate needs and plan for the future through the provision of various mental health services and client and family individual and group supports on a fee for service basis by a team of experienced and empathic Care Managers, Certified Peer Specialists, and Mental Health Therapists. Fun supports such as monthly Peer Socials and monthly Family Dinners (Client, Family, Staff & Board Member Dinner Club/Social Mixer) are held. Grant-funded, as well as cost-share services, are often available. PLANCTX is a member of the National PLAN Alliance.
The Need for PLANCTX
PLANCTX supplements the efforts of families that are able to provide care, and fills in for these families when they can no longer do so.
PLANCTX provides respite services, guidance and social activities that support caregivers and break down the isolation of mentally ill individuals. Most importantly, we are here to provide quality care, tailored to the needs of specific individuals, to augment the efforts of the primary care-giver and continue their efforts when they are no longer able to provide care.
Today, about 60 percent of individuals with a severe and persistent mental illness live with their families. Most of the remaining 40 percent receive care and attention from family members, while living somewhere else. Thus, whether they live with a parent/family member or not, people who have mental illness are likely to need and receive some or most of their supports from their caregiving relatives.
Family members caring for a loved one with mental challenges provide a wide range of essential services, including: overseeing treatment and medication, providing for the consumer financially, and monitoring budgeting and spending. They also provide social activities, transportation, and advice, ensure that medication is taken as prescribed and that doctors are seen as needed, and act as the consumer’s advocate in dealing with the public.
While the loss of parents or other close family members is usually upsetting, it can be devastating to someone living with a mental illness who has not already maximized and achieved his/her potential for independent living. PLANCTX can help make that happen, proactively, before a major loss occurs. No one wants to have to move from their lifetime home, for example, right after he/she experiences a stressful loss of a significant loved one. Thus, planning ahead, and initiation of supplemental services and supports WHILE the caregivers are still alive is the key.
PLANCTX’s focus is three-fold:
- To encourage long-term planning for the care of individuals with mental health challenges or other disabilities, along with their families, now and for the future.
- To assist with this planning process, including efforts to preserve eligibility for governmental disability benefits.
- To provide a safety net of services and supports including care management, certified peer specialist assistance, individual and family therapy, peer and family recreation and supports, and psychological rehabilitation services which improve quality of life and enhance overall wellness.