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Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people's attitudes to end‐of‐life decision‐making and advance care planning
Author(s) -
Hughes Mark,
Cartwright Colleen
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
australasian journal on ageing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.63
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 1741-6612
pISSN - 1440-6381
DOI - 10.1111/ajag.12268
Subject(s) - lesbian , transgender , advance care planning , directive , power of attorney , guardian , psychology , population , transgender people , end of life care , medicine , gender studies , health care , sociology , nursing , political science , palliative care , law , demography , computer science , programming language
Aim To examine lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender ( LGBT ) people's attitudes to advance care planning ( ACP ) options and alternative decision‐making at the end of life. Method Three hundred and five LGBT people completed an online or paper‐based questionnaire, comprising fixed‐choice questions and open‐ended questions. Results Most respondents, particularly those identifying as female or transgender, preferred a partner to be their alternative decision‐maker at the end of life should the need arise. Fifty‐two per cent of respondents had spoken to this person about their wishes. Regarding legal options enabling end‐of‐life decision‐making, 29% had an enduring power of attorney, 18% an enduring guardian and 12% an advance care directive. Conclusion Despite the significance of ACP for promoting the rights of LGBT people at the end of life, the take‐up of these options was nearly as low as for the general population. The potential for targeted strategies to increase the take‐up of ACP is identified.