Why are terminally ill people with learning disabilities often denied the chance to die in their own homes? Irene Tuffrey-Wijne calls for such people to be cared for in familiar surroundings in their last moments, citing the example of a man with Down’s syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease, and puts forward strategies to improve the care delivered to people with terminal illness

There are various reasons why residential care homes for people with a learning disability may feel unable to care for a terminally ill resident.