AT A GLANCE
The Advance Care Planning (ACP) Canada project, led by the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association (CHPCA), received $1.4 million from the Government of Canada in support of making advance care planning resources more accessible for people with disabilities in Canada over the next two years.
ABOUT ADVANCE CARE PLANNING (ACP)
Advance care planning (ACP) is a process of reflection and communication; it is a time for people to reflect on their values and wishes for future health and personal care, and to communicate their preferences with others in case they become incapable of speaking for themselves. According to a 2021 national poll on Advance Care Planning “more than 9 in 10 Canadians (93%) say it’s important to talk to family members about their care wishes”.
Advance care planning (ACP) is a process of reflection and communication; it is a time for people to reflect on their values and wishes for future health and personal care, and to communicate their preferences with others in case they become incapable of speaking for themselves. According to a 2021 national poll on Advance Care Planning “more than 9 in 10 Canadians (93%) say it’s important to talk to family members about their care wishes”.
OUR PROJECT AIMS
Collaborate with key stakeholders and disability advocates.
Increase accessibility of ACP resources and information.
Empower more people with disabilities to speak up about their future health and personal care wishes.
Advance Care Planning Accessibility Survey
We are requesting your assistance as we move forward with the Making Advance Care Planning More Accessible for Canadians with Disabilities project.
Together with our project partner AOR360, we have developed a survey to better understand the current capacity of organizations whose stakeholders include persons with disabilities, those likely to experience disabilities, and those who support them, to support advance care planning. We are interested in responses from an organizational perspective and would ask you respond to this survey with this lens in mind and share it with your networks as you see fit.
Stay Informed
Accessible Canada Act
For the purpose of this project, Advance Care Planning Canada is drawing on the Accessible Canada Act (S.C. 2019, c. 10) definition of “disability” which “means any impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment — or a functional limitation — whether permanent, temporary or episodic in nature, or evident or not, that, in interaction with a barrier, hinders a person’s full and equal participation in society.”
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Individuals with disabilities face unique challenges and barriers to engaging in advance care planning. We look forward to collaborating with members of the disability community to identify these barriers, and to develop or adapt resources that will support individuals in communicating their values and wishes for their future health care with their caregivers, their loved ones, and their health care providers.
This funding and project will enable the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association to provide accessible tools and information on advance care planning that meet the various needs of people with disabilities and their caregivers. By providing this vital information through accessible resources, we hope to empower more people with disabilities across Canada to have an active voice in shaping their future health and personal care.
People with serious illness or approaching the end of life deserve the best quality of care and support that we can offer. Our government understands the vital role that palliative and end-of-life care play in the lives of many across the country. Organizations like the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association are doing important work ensuring Canadians with disabilities can access advance care planning resources when preparing for their future health care. We will keep working to improve access to quality health care services, including palliative care, for everyone when and where they need them.