Not to be forgotten after you have taken care of the physical needs of your disabled family member are the legal needs.  At a minimum, make sure you have the appropriate Will, Trust and Power of Attorney in place to address, for example, the financial, education, guardianship and care-giving issues of your special needs family member while preserving his/her options to receive public or private benefits.  Also, a mentally competent disabled adult should have a Will, Power of Attorney, Advance Directive-Health Care Power of Attorney, and possibly a specialized Trust to preserve as much as possible his/her own assets and to ensure that he/she has the assistance of a trusted individual of his/her choice when dealing with the demands of  life.  For further information regarding these estate planning measures, contact Ellen S. Walker, Esq., at Miller, Miller & Canby, Chartered, Rockville, Maryland (301-762-5212).