How to future-proof your wishes with advance care planning

Advance care planning, and the creation of an Advance Care Directive (ACD), is an important step to ensure that your wishes are followed, should you no longer be able to communicate your needs.

• Advance care planning is the process of planning for your future health care
• It helps to ensure you receive the care you actually want.
• It improves ongoing and end-of-life care, along with personal and family satisfaction.
• Families have less anxiety, depression, stress and are more satisfied with care.
• It reduces unnecessary transfers to acute care and unwanted medical treatment.
• Advance care planning involves having conversations with your family, friends, doctors, care workers and other health professionals.

Advance care planning is the process of planning for your future health care, and what care you would or would not like to receive if you were to become seriously ill or injured and are unable to communicate your preferences or make decisions. This often relates to the care you receive at the end of your life, whether in hospital or in an aged care residence (nursing home).

Ideally, this will result in your preferences being documented in a plan known as an advance care directive.

At VMCH, we ensure all of our aged care residents have an up-to-date Advance Care Directive.Advance care planning benefits everyone: you, your family, carers and health professionals.

• It helps to ensure you receive the care you actually want.
• It improves ongoing and end-of-life care, along with personal and family satisfaction.
• Families of people who have undertaken advance care planning have less anxiety, depression, stress and are more satisfied with care.
• For healthcare professionals and organisations, it reduces unnecessary transfers to acute care and unwanted treatment.

Everyone should consider planning for the future, regardless of your age or health. Ideally, you should start planning when you're healthy - before there's actually an urgent need for a plan.

It is particularly important if you:

• are older
• have a chronic illness
• have multiple diseases
• have an early cognitive impairment
• are approaching the end of your life

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[addthis tool="addthis_inline_share_toolbox_mj8j"]Advance care planning requires a team effort. It involves having conversations with your family, friends, doctors, care workers and other health professionals. Having these conversations will help you start thinking about what's important to you.

You can then complete your own Advance Care Directive, which will be legally signed off by your GP.

On admission to any VMCH aged care residences all new residents are asked whether or not they have a pre-existing Advance Care Plan Directive. If they do, this is incorporated into their care plan, if not, we provide you with a template copy and recommend you have a conversation with your family and treating GP.These two terms are used regularly when talking about advance care planning, however they are distinctly different and it's important to understand this difference.

Advance care directives
An advance care directive is sometimes known as a living will. It's something you create for yourself and involves documenting your preferences for future care.

It can include your values, life goals and preferred outcomes, and directions about care and treatments. You can also formally appoint a substitute decision-maker.

They are legally binding and the preferences for health care that you document must be followed.

Advance care plans
An advance care plan is created by someone else on behalf of a person with diminished or no capacity to make decisions for themselves.

An advance care plan can include an individual’s beliefs, values and preferences in relation to future care decisions. They are often helpful in providing information for substitute decision-makers and health practitioners and may guide care decisions but are not necessarily legally binding.Yes, you can review your directive at any time, should you change your mind about any aspect of the care you wish to receive.

Our aged care teams review our residents’ directives every three months, in conjunction with your care plan, to ensure that it remains relevant and any changes can be made, if required.A substitute decision-maker is someone you choose to make medical treatment decisions on your behalf if you are not able to do so.

A substitute decision-maker may be called:

• an enduring guardian
• an attorney
• an agent
• a person responsible
• a decision-maker

When choosing your substitute decision-maker, you should ask yourself the question: ‘Am I confident this person will make decisions based on what I would want?’

Some people to consider are your:

• partner
• friend
• sibling
• adult child
• parent
• religious advisor
• legal representative

Starting the conversation about advance care planning is an important first step in ensuring your preferences for future care are known and respected.

If your preferences are not known, doctors may use treatments that you might not have wanted - and your family may worry that they will make a wrong choice.

Thinking about and planning for the future is a normal part of life so you shouldn't be afraid to raise the subject.Starting planning early helps give you, your family and your carer peace of mind.

Advance care planning is a normal part of life and is voluntary. Talking about values, beliefs and health and care preferences is an important part of family relationships and friendships. Most people are not used to talking about a time when they can’t make their own decisions, so they may need some time to think before they talk about their choices.

Our Pastoral Care teams are always available to talk to you, or your loved one, should you need some assistance in having those discussions around advanced care planning.

Here are some useful conversation starters:For more information, plans and forms, visit Advance Care Planning Australia.

You can also contact their advisory service on 1300 208 582 for more guidance on starting the conversation. They’re available 9am – 5pm, Monday – Friday (AEST).

You can also speak to any of our aged care residences. An advanced care plan will be created when you become a resident (but you can also bring your own).To find out more about VMCH visit www.vmch.com.au

Written by VMCH - March 11, 2021 - View a range of our articles here.