Ageing, end-of-life care, and the National Disability Insurance Scheme: What can we learn from overseas?

Abstract

The author of this conceptual article was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to travel to the United States, Ireland, and United Kingdom to meet with researchers, practitioners, and community agencies and review how support for people with intellectual disability is provided. A specific focus was upon provision of care for individuals who were either ageing or requiring palliative care. The project took place from June to August 2013 and involved face-to-face interviews and site visits with key academics, government representatives, and community providers in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, New Jersey, Dublin, Edinburgh, London, Oxford, Cambridge, Bath, Bristol, Birmingham, and Stoke-on-Trent. A priority was placed upon examining how the key features of leading practice models could be implemented within the Australian environment featuring a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). On the basis of the observations of practice, key points are discussed regarding the potential for improvements to the support of people with intellectual disability within the Australian context of the NDIS.

Keywords:

• intellectual disability
• ageing
• end-of-life
• National Disability Insurance Scheme
• NDIS
• palliative care

Acknowledgements

A Churchill Fellowship was awarded to the author to facilitate travel to the US, Ireland, and UK to research the issues reported in this paper. This article is a condensed and re-edited version of my full Churchill Fellowship report available at http://www.churchilltrust.com.au/media/fellows/2012_Wark_Stuart.pdf. The Churchill Trust has given permission for this article to be published. There have not been any actual or potential conflicts of interest identified.

I would like to thank the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fund for awarding me this Fellowship and gratefully acknowledge them for providing me with the opportunity to travel to the US, Ireland, and the UK. I would also like to express my sincere appreciation to all those who hosted my visit and took the time to explain disability support and practice within their local context.