What is Advance Care Planning?
Advance Care Planning is having a conversation with your family, friends and your doctor about the type of medical care you would want or not want to receive if you became seriously ill or injured.
Writing down your advance care planning conversation in a plan, directive or letter helps people to remember what you want and makes it easier to communicate these wishes to people caring for you who may not know you.
For more information on Advance Care Planning, download the brochure.
Why is it important?
Through planning ahead, you can guide your loved ones to make the best decisions for you when you lose the ability to make decisions for yourself.
This can include decisions on:
- What sort of medical treatment you would want;
- Who you would want making decisions about your medical treatment;
When people know your decisions, there is less chance of confucion and added anxiety.
Other resources
The Advance Care Planning Initiative (East Hume and Border) has released the Taking Care of Dying Time video which has been produced in conjunction with the Central Hume Koolin Balit Project and Central Hume Primary Care Partnership.
In Taking Care of Dying Time Chris Thorne (Central Hume Aboriginal Community Support Worker - Koolin Balit) talks about his recent experience where advance care planning would have been of very real benefit. In the video Chris encourages everyone – young and old – to talk with their family and write down an advance care plan so people will know their wishes if they become seriously ill or injured and cannot speak for themselves.
The Advance Care Planning Initiative would particularly like to thank Central Hume Primary Care Partnership - Chris Thorne, Lisa Guppy and Jenny Ashby; and Jacqui Schulz (film maker) for their contribution and support in making this video.
The Advance Care Planning Initiative is funded by the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services.
https://youtu.be/xb7xixHqgBQ - 10-minute version
https://youtu.be/Cdvl8lG5rZ0 - Four-minute version