For most of us, planning for the future is something we mean to get around to. It can feel like a conversation for later, or one that only surfaces when life has already taken an unexpected turn.
A national study commissioned by Advance Care Planning Australia found that only one in three Australians have taken steps to plan for their future health care, which means most of us are yet to have this conversation at all.
Advance care planning is simply about having a say in your own care while you still can, and making sure the people around you understand what matters most to you before a time comes when you can’t tell them yourself.
This week is Advance Care Planning Week, and this year’s theme: Your Story, Your Choice, is a gentle push to stop waiting for the right moment and start the conversation now, while we’re well enough to have it on our own terms.
What is advance care planning?
Advance care planning is a voluntary, ongoing process that helps you think through your values, beliefs and preferences for future health and personal care, and make sure those preferences are recorded and understood by the people who matter. It covers a lot of ground: what quality of life looks like to you, what treatments you would or wouldn’t want, who you trust to speak on your behalf, and what matters to you spiritually, culturally and personally.
Some of the decisions it covers include whether you would want life-sustaining treatments like ventilation and under what circumstances, whether you would want to receive blood products such as a transfusion, your preferences around certain medications, and at what point, if any, you would choose not to receive further life-sustaining intervention.
In practical terms, the process can involve conversations with your family or carers, discussions with your GP, and completing documents like an Advance Health Directive, a legally recognised document in Western Australia that records your wishes and comes into effect if you’re ever unable to make or communicate decisions yourself. You can also appoint an enduring guardian, someone you trust to make personal and health decisions for you if that time comes.
People who have completed advance care planning are more likely to receive care that reflects their wishes, less likely to spend time in hospital receiving treatments they wouldn’t have chosen, and their families experience significantly less stress and uncertainty when difficult decisions arise.
When should you start?
The honest answer is: earlier than you think. Advance care planning is for anyone who has preferences about their future care, which is most of us.
That said, it becomes especially important for those who are older, living with a chronic illness or multiple health conditions, experiencing early cognitive impairment, or approaching the end of life.
Starting when you’re well means you have the time to think it through properly, to have unhurried conversations with family, and to change your mind if your priorities shift. This is an ongoing process and you can revisit and update your wishes as your life changes.
For many people, the thought surfaces gradually, perhaps prompted by a health experience, a conversation with a friend, or simply getting older and starting to think differently about the future. When it does, it’s worth giving it the attention it deserves.
How to get started
If you’re not sure where to begin, a conversation with your GP is a natural first step. They can help guide you through the process and connect you with the right documents and support. Advance Care Planning Australia offers free resources and tools to help you think through your wishes at your own pace, and the Advance Care Planning Support Service through Palliative Care WA provides local guidance for people in Western Australia.
The people who love you want to get it right. Advance care planning can help make that possible, giving them a clear picture of your wishes so that if something unexpected happens, they’re not left making difficult decisions without any guidance to lean on.
For many families, all it takes is one person deciding to bring it up. If advance care planning is something you’ve been thinking about, it’s worth sharing that with the people closest to you.
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