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This week is Advance Care Planning week!

This week reminds the importance of talking to your your loved ones/clients/patients about planning ahead their care and their end of life preferences. Although it involves a difficult conversation it would be helpful to have conversations with the person you are caring for.

A life-limiting illness may remove the capacity to make decisions about important matters in the final months and days of life. Advance care planning is the process of discussing and documenting future health care wishes, values and priorities. It enables doctors, friends, family and carers to understand what a person with a life-limiting illness wants, should they become so unwell that they are unable to speak for themselves.

It is recommended to begin these discussions and planning during the early stages of an illness.

It is important that the person you are caring for, conveys their preferences while they still have the legal capacity to make decisions.

Advance Care Planning means planning your care in advance of your condition worsening to the point where you are unable to make decisions for yourself. It is how you take control of your future health care decisions and help you live more positively.

The ability to decide what healthcare and health treatments we want is something we take for granted every day. However, there
may come a time when illness makes us unable to make clear what we want from our healthcare providers. If you are diagnosed with dementia for example – that time will certainly come and there are other illnesses and conditions that may also make your ability to communicate your wishes impossible.

An Advance Care Plan can be prepared by you or on your behalf by family or medical professionals who know what your wishes are.

Click HERE to find out more tips on how to start these conversations.

You can find more detailed information for NSW Advance Care Planning guidelines HERE