For many health professionals, supporting someone with intellectual disabilities at the end of life is a step into the unknown, which can provoke worry and anxiety. Common thoughts might include: ‘I don’t know anything about people with intellectual disabilities! What if I can’t understand them, or communicate with them, or assess their symptoms and problems?’
The Palliative Care for People with Learning Disabilities Network (PCPLD) was formed specifically to match palliative care professionals with specialists working with people with disability, to ensure that people with disability should receive the coordinated support needed in living their lives to the full, until the end of life.
The PCPLD website has a vast suite of education and training resources, including webinars and podcasts, to assist you in your work with people with disability.