Advance care planning

Difficult medical decisions regularly need to be made for people with intellectual disability. They are often unable to play a meaningful role in this and the decisions fall to the family or guardians. A useful aid to proactive medical management is advance care planning. This is a long-term care plan which is centred on the well-being of patients and their quality of life. Ideally it should be a matter for patients and those closest to them, the responsible medical practitioner and those tasked with the day-to-day care of patients. It is important to draw up this plan carefully and to regularly review it in the light of current circumstances.

Conflict of interest: none declared. Financial support: none declared.