FACTSHEET FOR
INDIVIDUALS
What is advance care planning?
Advance care planning involves planning for your future health care. It enables you to make some decisions now
about the health care you would or would not like to receive if you were unable to communicate your preferences
or make treatment decisions. This might happen aer an accident, due to illness or near the end of your life.
Benets for you and the people close
to you
Advance care planning:
n helps to ensure your preferences and values about
health care are known and respected if you are too
unwell to speak for yourself
n assists those who are close to you. Families of those
who have done advance care planning have less
anxiety and stress when asked to make important
health care decisions for other people
1
.
Wring your preferences down in an advance care
direcve allows you to say what you would want.
This can give peace of mind to you and comfort to
others as preferences are clear, understood and more
readily respected.
Be open
n Think about your values, beliefs and preferences
for current and future health care.
n Decide who you would like to speak for you if
you become very sick and are not able to speak
for yourself. Ask them if they are prepared to be
your substute decision-maker. (See ‘The law and
advance care planning’ overleaf.)
Ideally, they need to be:
n available (live close by in the same region)
n over the age of 18 years
n prepared to speak on your behalf and make the
decisions you would make when required by
doctors, other health professionals and family
members.
Depending on your state/territory, you may be able to
appoint more than one substute decision-maker.
Be ready
n Talk about your values, beliefs and preferences
with your substute decision-maker and other
people involved in your care such as family,
friends, carers and doctors.
n Write your plan and/or appoint your substute
decision-maker. See advancecareplanning.org.
au/create-your-plan and nd the forms for your
state or territory. Your doctor or other health
professional can support you to write down
your choices. You can also contact the Naonal
Advance Care Planning Support Service for free
advice and printed forms.
More informaon: advancecareplanning.org.au
What do you need to do?
1. Detering KM, Hancock AD, Reade MC and Silvester W, The impact of
advance care planning on end of life care in elderly paents: randomised
controlled trial, BMJ. 2010; 340: c1345.
Everyone should consider advance care planning,
regardless of their age or health. If you become
seriously ill or injured, and you haven’t documented
your preferences or idened a substute decision-
maker, doctors will consider treatments based on their
assessment of your best interests. This may include
treatments and treatment outcomes that you would
not want.
In these situaons, doctors may ask someone you are
close to, like a family member, for their opinions about
your medical treatments and care. This can be very
hard for them if they don’t know your preferences.
Advance care planning gives you the chance to:
n talk to your family, friends and doctors about how
you would like to be cared for in the future
n write down your own preferences for care and
medical treatments in an advance care direcve
(see ‘the law and advance care planning’ overleaf)
n choose who you would like to make medical
treatment and care decisions for you.
Advance Care Planning Australia
TM
is funded by the Australian Government.
© Advance Care Planning Australia. December 2022.
This publicaon is general in nature and people should seek appropriate professional advice about their specic circumstances, including advance care
planning legislaon in their state or territory.
The law and advance care planning
Dierent states and territories in Australia have dierent
laws on advance care planning. For example, in some
states and territories, there are important rules regarding
who can witness documents for you.
Some states also have documents that allow people to
write down their values and preferences only. These
forms are not legally binding but may guide doctors and
decision-makers when making decisions. These forms
may be called a Statement of Choices or My Values and
Preferences.
When planning for your own future health care, it will be
helpful to understand the advance care planning process
and the law in your own state/territory.
See advancecareplanning.org.au/create-your-plan
for informaon.
Depending on your state/territory:
n a legal Substute Decision-Maker may also be called
an Aorney, Enduring Guardian, Enduring Power
of Aorney, Decision-Maker or Medical Treatment
Decision-Maker
n an Advance Care Direcve may also be called an
Advance Health Direcve, Health Direcon or
Advance Personal Plan.
i
Conversation starters
Speak to your family and others close to you about your
views and preferences for your health care.
To get started, choose a quiet seng where you won’t
be interrupted.
Let the conversaon happen naturally. There may be
laughter and tears, grief and acceptance. You don’t need
to talk about everything all at once. Remember that
advance care planning is an ongoing conversaon.
The more your loved ones understand your preferences,
the easier it will be for them to help guide your medical
treatment. Tell them what treatment outcomes you
would consider acceptable and which ones you would
nd unacceptable.
Starng the conversaon can be the hardest part, so here
are a few ways to begin:
n What I value and enjoy most in my life are …
n I was thinking about what happened to …
and I realised that I …
n I would want … to make medical decisions on
my behalf if I was unable to do so
n If … happened to me, I would want … because …
Explore your reasons for these answers and your feelings
to help your family understand your preferences.
Where can I get more information?
Advance Care Planning Australia
TM
advancecareplanning.org.au
Naonal Advance Care Planning Support Service
TM
1300 208 582
For free support call 9am–5pm (AEST/AEDT)
Monday to Friday
learning.advancecareplanning.org.au
Be heard
n A wrien advance care direcve will make things
easier for your substute decision-maker(s),
if the need arises. It will give everyone peace
of mind, knowing your preferences will be heard
and respected.
n Make copies and store them with:
> your substute decision-maker(s) and
family members
> your GP/local doctor and specialist(s)
> other care providers such as your aged care
home or hospital.
We also recommend uploading a copy of all advance
care planning documents to My Health Record.
n Review your advance care direcve regularly
– for instance every year, or if there is a change
in your health, personal or living circumstances.
If you make changes, share copies with the people
menoned above and upload the new document
to My Health Record.
FACTSHEET FOR
INDIVIDUALS
Advance Care Planning Australia
TM
is funded by the Australian Government.
© Advance Care Planning Australia. December 2022.
This publicaon is general in nature and people should seek appropriate professional advice about their specic circumstances, including advance care
planning legislaon in their state or territory.