Advance care planning is about future healthcare preferences.
Healthcare planning
Advance care planning: making your wishes easier to follow
Advance care planning is about thinking through your future healthcare preferences and making it easier for family and clinicians to understand what matters to you if you cannot speak for yourself.
Practical guidanceUnderstand the options before making the decision.
At a glance
What to know first
An advance care directive can record your wishes and values.
Documents and legal rules differ between states and territories.
The practical detail
Work through the part that matters to you.
Start with a conversation
Talk about what quality of life means to you, treatments you would or would not want, who you trust to speak for you and what matters if your health changes.
Write down your preferences
Healthdirect explains that advance care planning commonly includes an advance care directive and choosing a substitute decision-maker. The terminology and forms differ across Australia.
Share the plan
A document is more useful when the people who may need it know it exists. Give relevant copies to your substitute decision-maker, family and healthcare team and keep your own copy accessible.
Review it when life changes
Revisit your plan if your health, relationships or values change. Planning ahead is not a one-off decision and does not stop you making your own decisions while you have capacity.
Before you act
Advance care directive laws and forms vary by state and territory. Use the official process for where you live and seek legal or clinical advice when needed.
Check the current rules
Official sources used for this guide.
Government rules and thresholds can change. These links take you to the source material used to prepare this page.
Related Later Life guides
Keep going only where it is useful.
When general information is not enough
Talk it through with Liz.
Liz can help connect the general rules to the care and support questions in your own situation. For legal, tax or financial decisions, she will point you back to the appropriate professional or government source.