Advance care planning

Advance care planning means talking to the person you care for about what care and health services they want in the future, if their condition gets worse. This planning means that their wishes can be followed even if they become too sick to make decisions or tell you what they want.

What is advance care planning

Advance care planning involves:

• appointing someone else to make decisions for the person you care for – this can be you or another trusted family member or friend
• completing an Advance (Health or Care) Directive – this is a formal written record of what the person wants in future treatment. The person must be able to make decisions at the time the directive is made

How to make an advance care plan

To make an advance care plan, you should first talk with the person you care for about what they want in the future. The Advance Care Planning Australia website can guide you through what to think and talk about.

You should then write down what the person wants. These instructions are known as an advance care directive, or living will.

These written instructions are the main part of an advance care plan. However, each Australian state and territory has different rules about what documents are needed in an advance care plan. The Advance Care Planning Australia website has information about what you will need to do in your state or territory.

When the person you care for has made an advance care plan, you should let others in your family and health care team know about the plan and where copies are kept.