Support with decisions about end of life care

Information for the public

Making decisions about the future can be difficult but your healthcare professional can help by discussing all the different options with you and answering your questions. They should ask if you would like to talk about how Parkinson's disease may progress and the future. It is completely up to you whether you want to talk about these things, and if you do want to talk, when you want to do so.

Your healthcare professional can answer your questions about the disease getting worse and give you more information about the choices for your care and treatment towards the end of your life.

Your family or carers can be involved in the discussions if you would like them to be.

These are some of the areas that you might want to talk about:

what to expect in the future as your Parkinson's disease progresses
medicines you can take and how they can affect you
what might happen at the end of your life
things that you might want to plan for, such as:
- whether you would like to be cared for at home or somewhere else, such as a hospice
- who will look after your money and legal issues when you are too ill to do this
- making a will so that your money and belongings go where you want them to
what support is available for you and your family and carers, such as respite care and the loan of equipment.

Your healthcare professional might talk with you about referring you to a palliative care team. Palliative care aims to improve a person's quality of life throughout the course of their illness if they have a life-limiting illness.