Advance Care Planning, more than filling out forms
Baptistcare can help guide you about your Advance Care Plan, as you think about your values and preferences for your future health care.
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20 June 2021
News
| Home Care, Aged Care Homes
Putting together an Advance Care Plan doesn’t need to be complicated, but it does require careful consideration.
When we start thinking about aged care, one of the difficult conversations we might have with our loved ones is the need for an Advance Care Plan.
The opportunity to control our care in our senior years is something 70 percent of Australians aged 65+ are sidestepping, according to a government-funded national study led by Advance Care Planning Australia (ACPA).
Putting together an Advance Care Plan doesn’t need to be complicated, but it does require careful consideration.
What is an Advance Care Plan?
An Advance Care Plan details your wishes and preferences regarding your future health care. Often relating to the care you receive at the end of your life, it involves not only your family, but also your friends, doctors, carers and other health professionals.
An Advance Care Plan is an opportunity to think about what’s important to you and your physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing, including all those small things that make life worth living. It can include your beliefs, values and preferences in relation to future care decisions, helping to guide your health practitioners, for example, when making decisions.
An Advance Care Plan is also a chance to nominate your funeral director and to consider what your final farewell might look like. Not only does this give you a real say in your end-of-life arrangements, but it also means your family will be better prepared during what will be a difficult time for them.
Why is advance care planning important?
Planning for your future care benefits you, your family, your carers and your health professionals.
- It helps you receive the care you actually want.
- It leads to improved ongoing and end-of-life care.
- Making your wishes known can reduce potential stress, anxiety and depression, for both you and your family.
What else might I need to think about?
You may already have a Will in place and have made sure your loved ones know where it is.
You might also want to consider an Enduring Power of Attorney and Enduring Power of Guardianship, authorising someone you trust to make decisions on your behalf should you not be able to.
Another term that people sometimes come across is Advance Health Directive, sometimes known as a Living Will. An Advance Health Directive is legally binding, making it very different to an Advance Care Plan. With an Advance Health Directive, the preferences you document must be followed.
Because it is legally binding, an Advance Health Directive does not have any flexibility to change as your needs change. It is important to consult your doctor and legal practitioner as there are requirements around who can witness the document and the manner in which it is signed.
It is important to note that an instruction contained within an Advance Health Directive cannot be overridden by an Advanced Care Plan or Enduring Power of Guardianship.
Having the conversation
Baptistcare can help guide you about your Advance Care Plan, as you think about your values and preferences for your future health care, and consider who might look after your health and welfare decisions if you’re no longer able to.
Your choices and wishes are important to us when you choose Baptistcare, helping us meet your needs and ensure your preferences are followed.
The information you and your family provide will help us put together a comprehensive Advance Care Plan that can change and evolve as your needs change, from your favourite food and drinks, to your wishes regarding hospital intervention and pain management.
We can help you look after all the paperwork, tailoring it to your wishes and preferences. We’re always mindful that your individual Advance Care Plan can be revisited and revised at any time.
At Baptistcare, our chaplains are also trained to help families through these difficult conversations, looking after the whole person; body, spirit and soul.
The more your loved ones and others close to you understand your preferences and wishes, the easier it will be for them to help guide your care.