CCCC in the Developmental Disabilities Community

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.Thinking Ahead: My Life, My Choice, My Life at the End

Advance Care Planning for People with Developmental Disabilities

This project builds upon the process of choice making and "person-centered planning" to help people with developmental disabilities make end of life decisions.

The Thinking Ahead partnership is made up of the California Coalition for Compassionate Care, the Board Resource Center (BRC) and Mark Starford, who has extensive experience and expertise in adapting complex information for people with developmental disabilities.

To facilitate the decision making process, we have created a Thinking Ahead workbook and DVD designed specifically for people and by people with developmental disabilities that enables them to make their own decisions regarding healthcare treatment and related decisions at the end of life.

Thinking Ahead: My Life at the End contains words, symbols and pictures that facilitate discussion with and decision making by persons with developmental disabilities regarding their values, goals and treatment preferences at the end of life. The DVD serves as a simple instruction manual, containing vignettes that illustrate in simple, graphic format the purpose and use of the materials.  Thus, people with limited reading comprehension will be able to use the materials as well.

Click here to view a short vignette from the DVD.

The Thinking Ahead workbook is also available in Spanish and Chinese. 

To obtain a free hard-copy of the Thinking Ahead workbook and DVD, send an email to info@finalchoices.org.

This web page was last updated on 10/31/08.