Advance care planning
Advance care planning gives individuals the opportunity to plan their future health care and medical treatment while they are healthy and can make decisions for themselves.
It is the process of planning for future health care and what health care an individual would or would not like to receive if they were to become seriously ill or injured and are unable to communicate their preferences or make decisions.
Advance Care Planning Australia
Advance Care Planning Australia provides an extensive range of information and resources for individuals and professionals seeking to understand advance care planning and supporting to have a say in their future health care, record and share their wishes and preferences, be heard by their care providers and have their wishes and preferences respected.
Palliative Care Victoria
Palliative Care Victoria has a range of information relevant to advance care planning for individuals, families and health professionals.
Palliative Care Australia
Palliative Care Australia has information about advance care planning and links to information about advance care planning relevant in each Australian state and territory.
The Dying to Talk Discussion Starter series and Card packs have been developed to reach into communities to normalise early conversations about the end-of-life, rather than waiting until more time-critical or medical-focused discussions need to occur. The resources have been developed to help Australians work out what’s right for them if they were to become very sick or at the end of their lives.
Advance care planning as part of My Health Record
The Australian Government’s My Health Record is a personalised online summary of a person’s health information, which people can choose to share with doctors, hospitals and other healthcare providers. Individuals can upload their advance care plan into their ‘My Health Record’. Click here for more information.
MyValues website
MyValues is a set of specially constructed statements designed to help people identify, consider and communicate their wishes about the medical treatment they would want in the later stages of life. The tool is free to use and generates a summary statement for people to keep and use.
Click on the links below to access advance care planning information and resources at each hospital in our catchment:
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre (Peter Mac)
Victorian Advance Care Planning Legislation
The Medical Treatment Planning and Decisions Act (2016) includes information about the legal framework for advance care planning in Victoria.
Office of the Public Advocate
The Victorian Office of the Public Advocate OPA has a range of resources to promote and safeguard the rights and interests of people with disability. It includes information and forms about planning for the future and medical decision-making including powers of attorney, medical consent and refusal of treatment.
Birth and death – these are something we will all have to cope with. But when it comes to the latter, we seem reluctant to think about, talk about, and plan for it. This is your chance to find out more. Check out the Dying2Learn Hub.