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What is Advance Care Planning and an Advance Care Plan

Advance care planning is a way for you to think, discuss, decide, document and share what matters most to you at the end of your life.

This may include how you would liked to be cared for, what treatments you don’t want in the future, where you would like to die and anything else that is important to you.

This video explains what advance care planning can include.

We know from what people tell us that you are more likely to have the care that you want, because people know about your wishes and choices. We also know that family and friends often value knowing in advance your wishes and choices.

About Advance Care Planning

  • It’s about thinking and talking about the end of life
  • It’s about sharing your wishes and decisions
  • It’s about caring for yourself and those you care about

 

With Advance Care Planning

  • You can think and talk about what matters to you
  • You can share your wishes and choices about your care
  • Your family, friends, health and social care professionals can act upon your wishes and choice

 

Who is Advance Care Planning for?

Anyone! It is a voluntary way to help you think about, prepare and plan for the end of life.

Your end of life might be years, months, weeks or days away, but many people find it helpful to think about advance care planning sooner rather than later. It can help you discuss and decide what is most important to you as well as share your thinking with others.

What can Advance Care Planning involve?

Most of all it is about conversations, so you can think about and share your wishes or choices. Sometimes this is known as an Advance Care Plan. Sharing it with your family, friends and health or social care professionals enable them to know what you would want them to do in the future.   

 

Advance Care Plans may include all or any of the three below:

  • An Advance Statement: a way for you to write down what matters most to you so that people know about your wishes and choices about care.
  • An Advance Decision to Refuse Treatment (ADRT): a formal way for you to write down and share any decisions you make about treatments that you do not want in the future.
  • Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA): a person/people nominated by yourself to speak on your behalf. There are two types; ‘Health and Welfare’ (speaks for you only if you cannot speak for yourself at the time) and ‘Property and Affairs’ (speaks for you from whenever you authorise them to so do).

 

Advance Care Planning can also include other things such as:

  • Do Not Attempt Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR): a decision to not restart your heart if it should stop. The decision to not restart your heart is made because it is anticipated to be unsuccessful or not what you want.
  • Best Interests: The decision making process for care decisions on your behalf if you are unable to contribute to the decision making process yourself. Advance care planning activity such as advance statements, advance decision to refuse treatment’s and lasting power of attorney’s are very helpful in understanding what your wishes might be if you cannot say so yourself.