Family case conferences support shared person-centred decision making and advance care planning for individuals living in the community or in residential aged care with advanced dementia who are no longer able to decide care for themselves.
In these situations, health professionals will need to work with a family member or other person with authority to make decisions on behalf of the person with dementia. In New South Wales, an individual with authority of this kind is called the person responsible (37kb pdf), but this varies in other states and territories.
The following pages outline an approach that aims to improve case conference uptake, relevance and quality by coordination, facilitation and communication (termed facilitated case conferencing).
These pages outline how to use ‘triggers’ to identify when someone with advanced dementia could benefit from a case conference. You will also learn how to assess and address current needs and come to a shared agreement on the goals of care.