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Advanced care planning is not a one-off discussion. It’s a thoughtful, open, ongoing series of conversations with your loved ones and doctors. These conversations, although sometimes challenging, allow you to share your values, beliefs, and healthcare wishes. Once you are clear on your wishes, write them down, choose a healthcare proxy, and if available in your state, upload them to your health record.
Advance care planning is essential to ensure your network knows what matters to you. It empowers you to make decisions about what healthcare treatments you would accept or refuse. It gives you a voice in advance for a time when you might not have one. Advanced care plans can also benefit your loved ones, reducing their stress and anxiety if they are in a position where they need to make decisions about your care.
Regardless of age or health, everyone should consider advanced care planning. It's not about thinking about the worst; it's about planning for what is best for you. Think of it this way: you make a will to document your wishes for your estate. An advanced care plan is a living will that plans for other areas of your future.
However, advanced care plans are particularly important for those with chronic illness, life-limiting illnesses, and those at risk of dementia.
Advanced care planning is not one conversation. There are many things to consider, work out, and discuss. Starting the conversation is the first and often the hardest step. Where do you start?
Thinking about what is important to you day-to-day, what you value most in your life, and what makes a good day for you is a great place to start. This should steer you to working out the more complicated things. For instance, if you consider sitting in your recliner, eating chocolate and watching TV as quality of life, and healthcare treatment would provide little chance of you still being able to do these things, would you want that treatment?
Advanced Care Planning Australia has some great suggestions about prompts for starting the conversation with your loved ones, your healthcare providers, or, if you are a healthcare provider, your patients. Some examples are:
Just like here at Med Advisor, we know that chronic illness and medication management is easier with support, and so is advanced care planning. You can be integral to increasing awareness about advanced care planning this week.
National Advanced Care Planning Week is a great time to share what matters most to you and start that conversation. It’s also an excellent opportunity to attend events online or in your local area.
Share your story, like Shaynee, Heather, Terry and Mary-Anne, with friends, family, colleagues, and neighbours via Facebook or LinkedIn using the hashtag #acpweek24.
The more people share this message, the closer we come to empowering everyone to make decisions about their future health and care.
Try for yourself & download the app for free today!
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