Death is a part of life. Too often death is a taboo in our society, and people avoid talking about or planning for it. This taboo is even more obvious when people with intellectual disability are part of these conversations. People with intellectual disability should learn about dying and death just as they learn about every other aspect of life. Teaching about the end of life is hard though.
In a world-first, the Talking End of Life …with people with intellectual disability (TEL) project has been developed as a research-based online toolkit to support staff and carers to deliver end-of-life information to adults with intellectual disability, and discuss end-of-life planning in everyday contexts.
TEL reflects 10 years of Australian research on end-of-life and people with intellectual disability, with research demonstrating that currently, many people with intellectual disability encounter death without understanding what is happening, both when loved ones die or when they themselves approach death.
TEL shows you how to teach people with intellectual disability about the end of life.
TEL is designed for disability support workers but is also helpful for others including families, health professionals, and educators.
The ground-breaking project is supported by funding from the Australian Government Department of Health under the Public Health and Chronic Disease Grant Program.
TEL is free to use and available online at https://www.caresearch.com.au/TEL/
