This month South Australians are being encouraged to ask themselves: if you were unable to speak for yourself, who would speak for you? And what health care and lifestyle decisions would you want them to make?
These questions are at the heart of Advance Care Planning Week, held for the first time across Australia from April 16 to 22.
With rates of dementia on the rise and a growing awareness of the importance of safeguarding the financial security of older Australians, documenting a person’s wishes in a legally binding way is more important than ever.
The best way to do this is to ensure you have an Advance Care Directive, which sets out your wishes around lifestyle, health and end of life decisions and involves appointing a substitute decision maker. You also need to appoint an Enduring Power of Attorney. This involves appointing a substitute decision maker (attorney) – often a family member or trusted person – to manage financial affairs in the event that you can no longer do it by yourself.
People know that they need to have these documents in place, but don’t always know where to start, and put these often emotionally confronting conversations in the too hard basket. We encourage people to have conversations with family or trusted friends early, before there is a health crisis or a change of circumstances, such as a move to residential care, to deal with. That way important decisions can be clearly expressed and documented in consultation with others without being clouded by stress.
We all deserve the opportunity to remain independent as we age. Don’t leave it too late to make your wishes known.