Everyone’s journey into aged care is different. Sometimes you get time to plan and sometimes you need to make a snap decision due to illness or accident. In an ideal world, you or your loved one will already have discussed and filled out your Advance Care Planning documents before entering aged care. But let’s face it, you are in the real world and starting that conversation can be daunting.
A good way to think about advance care planning is as a living will. Advance care planning is a way that a person can let their family, doctors and carers know what health care is important to them.
Each person is unique and will have different choices for their health care. An advance care plan can be as individual as you. You may choose to participate in advance care planning because it can give you the opportunity to think and talk to your loved ones and doctors about your health care choices for the future. Importantly, it can give you the opportunity to communicate your wishes in writing.
If there comes a time when you can no longer speak for yourself, your health careers will still know what you want and who you would like to make decisions on your behalf.
Essentially advance care planning allows a person to express their preferences to inform future medical treatment if they become unable to participate in decision making. Advance care planning puts the person at the centre of care and has been shown to improve the quality of care people receive at the end of their lives.
The advance care planning documents in Queensland are Advance Care Directive, Enduring Power of Attorney and Statement of Choices.
Statement of Choices
Advance Health Directive
Enduring Power of Attorney
