October 2019 - End of Life Planning in Support of People with Disabilities

People with disabilities deserve the support to engage in meaningful end of life planning as part of a lifespan approach to person-centered planning. Some people with disabilities will be able to take the lead in making these decisions, and others will need some level or complete support in navigating this phase of their life. Family members and other members of the professional support team need to develop the skills to guide them and their families to develop ethical end of life plans that take into consideration the person’s wishes, quality of life, and medical prognosis. This workshop will lay the foundation for the relevance of end of life planning, and provide a framework to examine ethical and medical considerations. A set of tools will be reviewed that assist the person with disability and/or their support team to establish the ethical issues of relevance, review quality of life considerations, and conduct a guided interview with medical staff.

Disabilities