The Future You® Life Profile
Your Life. Your Story. Your Way.
More than information. A picture of the person behind it.
A personalised, Occupational Therapist-led exploration of who you are, what keeps you well and what you want your care to look like if your circumstances change — at any time.
Why it matters
What happens when someone else has to speak for you? Families may have to piece together what you would have wanted. Professionals may know your care needs without knowing the person behind them. A Life Profile helps keep your voice present, even when circumstances change.
It complements — and does not replace — a Lasting Power of Attorney, advance decision, Will, care plan or medical record. Different legal documents have different purposes. A Life Profile records what you would want them to understand. It is not a legally binding instruction and does not guarantee how future decisions will be made.
You don't need to be unwell. Do it before you need it.
A passport to your care
Different care settings may use different systems and may not have access to one another's assessments. Your Life Profile can travel with you: a personal account that you choose to share so the next team can build on your story, rather than always starting again.
It brings together the routines, relationships, activities and communication preferences that matter, and how you want them reflected in future support. It can be kept alongside your Will and LPAs, with trusted people knowing where to find the current version. It is not linked to clinical systems and cannot remove the need for a fresh assessment, current consent or appropriate legal decision-making.
What the profile captures
- Who I am
- What matters to me
- My routines
- My relationships
- My values
- What I enjoy
- What I don't like
- What makes me feel safe
- My important experiences
- My preferences
- What I would want others to know
How it works
1. Initial conversation
We talk through your situation, what prompted you to plan, and what you want the profile to achieve. This conversation can be held by video or phone, or in person at The Old Swan, Rhayader, Powys LD6 5AB.
2. Guided sessions
We work with you until your needs and wishes are clearly communicated, within an agreed scope. OT-led conversations explore identity, values, routines, wellbeing, relationships and what you would want your care to look like.
3. Your profile
Your story and professional reasoning are drawn together into a personal booklet and practical care summary. We review the wording with you so your own voice and preferences remain central.
4. Review
Life changes. We discuss how your profile can be revisited so it stays an accurate reflection of you; future updates can be agreed separately.
Who it's for
Anyone who wants to be understood, whatever their age or stage of life. Individuals planning ahead, families wanting to preserve what makes a loved one who they are, and health, social care and care providers seeking a richer picture of the people they support.
You don't have to be in crisis to start the conversation.
The evidence behind it
This service is built on the Mental Capacity Act's best-interests requirements, NICE guidance on decision-making and person-centred care, and published research on facilitated advance care planning. Our free planning guides set out the evidence with sources.
Read the evidence-based planning guides →Life Profiles and complex care conversations
When someone's care needs are complex, the people around them are often asked to explain what an ordinary day really looks like — routines, communication, what causes distress and what helps. A Life Profile captures exactly those things, in the person's own words.
It may sit alongside other information, but it does not replace clinical evidence, the formal NHS Continuing Healthcare assessment or professional judgement, and it does not determine eligibility or funding. You never need a Life Profile to use our CHC support.
Navigating NHS Continuing Healthcare? →The professional Life Profile
For a deeper, guided conversation.
We work with you until your needs and wishes are clearly communicated, rather than limiting the conversation to a fixed number of sessions. Your conversations and professional analysis are brought together in a personal booklet written by your Occupational Therapist — not a form for you to fill in alone.
The pace and scope are agreed with you before booking, including what is included in the fee and how any later updates or additional work are arranged. Needs-led support is not a promise of unlimited ongoing care. Start with a conversation about what you need.
Future You brings together Occupational Therapy and experienced Mental Health Nurse perspectives. Your service agreement explains who will be involved and how their expertise supports your profile.
For professionals: continuity across care settings →A future digital Life Profile is also in development: a place to start putting your story into words. It is not yet available, and will complement the deeper professional service.
A glimpse inside
Not just a life story.
A guide to caring for the person.
These three illustrative pages show how personal conversations can become a detailed, practical account of someone's wishes. Alex and every detail below are fictional. This is not a client record, completed assessment or the full booklet.
My life, in my words · Fictional
Meet Alex.
“Give me the music I love, some fresh air and a say in my day. Those things help me feel like myself.”
The music that is mine
I love early rock ’n’ roll, jazz and disco — not just any background music. Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry remind me of dancing when I was younger. Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong are favourites for a quieter afternoon; the Bee Gees and Chic bring energy to my day.
Ask which mood I am in. Offer a couple of choices, keep the volume comfortable and let me decide whether to listen, tap along or have quiet. Music is part of who I am, not something to play at me.
Outdoors is part of my wellbeing
I spent much of my life walking, tending the garden and finding reasons to be outside. Fresh air, changing seasons and space helped me feel settled. I used to say “I just need to get out” without being able to explain that this was helping me stay mentally well.
Please do not record this only as “likes walks”. Time outdoors gives my day purpose and helps me feel connected to the world. If I cannot explain it at the time, this still matters to me.
My ordinary day
I prefer a quiet start, tea by the window and time to get ready without being rushed. I like going outside before lunch when possible, listening to music later and speaking with my sister in the evening. Offer choices rather than deciding my whole day for me.
Sample context: these preferences are expressed in Alex's imagined voice. In a real profile, wording is explored and reviewed with the individual, with the source of information made clear.
What this means for my care
Keep what matters in my day.
Protect time outdoors
Please ask about getting outside as part of my daily support, rather than waiting for me to request it. A supported walk, a garden visit or sitting somewhere sheltered may each be meaningful. Agree what is safe and possible with me and the appropriate care team; check weather, access, mobility and how I feel that day.
If going outside is temporarily not possible, explain why and discuss alternatives: a window with a view, tending a plant or planning the next opportunity. These are alternatives, not an assumption that outdoor time no longer matters.
Notice changes without making assumptions
If I become withdrawn, restless or stop joining in, please ask what has changed in my routines and whether I have had any time outdoors. This may be helpful context, not proof of the cause. Pain, illness, medication effects or other unmet needs still need appropriate assessment.
A calm approach and a familiar song may help me connect. If music seems unwelcome, stop and check rather than continuing because the profile says I enjoy it.
Help me communicate, not just answer
Introduce yourself, use my name and explain one thing at a time. Give me time to process and respond. If words are difficult, offer simple choices, use a suitable communication aid and check your understanding. Silence is not consent, and a difficulty expressing myself does not mean I cannot decide.
Professional interpretation · Illustrative, not an assessment
An OT perspective explores the relationship between Alex's meaningful activities, routines, environment and participation. A Mental Health Nurse perspective can help consider emotional wellbeing, distress and communication. Together, these perspectives inform questions to explore with Alex and the care team — they do not establish a diagnosis or replace individual assessment.
If my circumstances change
Please start with me.
If I need support at home, in hospital or in another care setting, I want people to see me as a person with a life — not only a set of needs. Keep me involved as far as possible, preserve my privacy and help me keep the routines and relationships that matter.
People I want involved
My sister knows my routines and my friend knows the music I love. Ask me who I want involved and what can be shared. Knowing me well does not automatically give someone authority to decide for me.
If I cannot readily tell you
Use this profile as a starting point, alongside my current needs and wishes. Support my communication first. Where I cannot make a particular decision, follow the relevant legal process and involve people with appropriate authority.
At-a-glance care handover · Fictional
- Know me
- Music lover: early rock ’n’ roll, jazz and disco. Outdoors is central to my identity and wellbeing.
- Offer me
- A quiet start, meaningful choices and a daily conversation about time outdoors.
- Speak with me
- Calmly, one thing at a time. Allow a response and check what I mean.
- Check with me
- My current preferences, who may receive this profile and whether anything has changed.
- Keep alongside
- Current care and clinical records, and any relevant LPA or advance decision. This profile does not replace them.
My profile travels with me
I want the current version available when I move between services, with sharing agreed appropriately. Please use it to build on my story so I do not have to begin again every time. You still need to confirm my needs, preferences and the information required for your own assessment.
A real profile should identify its preparation and review dates, information sources and agreed recipients. Updates are not automatic: changes and any professional review arrangements are agreed separately. This sample creates no legal authority or clinical instruction.
The value lies in the conversations, professional reasoning and careful writing behind the booklet — not simply the number of appointments. We work with you until your needs and wishes are clearly communicated, within the scope agreed before booking, and review the wording with you. Your profile can sit alongside your Will and LPAs, but complements rather than replaces legal documents, care plans and medical records.
Your life, your way
Start the conversation.
You don't have to know exactly what to say. You don't have to have all the answers. You simply have to start.
Do it before you need it.