Advance Care Planning (ACP)

Advance Care Planning (ACP) is an essential part of healthcare. It helps people to share their wishes regarding medical treatment and care, especially when they might not be able to communicate them.

Aged care has a crucial role to play in enabling ACP discussions with older people.

Key aspects of ACP

ACP ensures that medical care aligns with a person’s values, beliefs, goals, and preferences.
It supports person-centred care, respecting an individual’s wishes.
ACP requires that the person describing their wishes is competent and free of coercion.

Types of Advance Care Directives

Common Law Directives are recognised under common law, or the law developed by judges on a case-by-case basis.

Statutory Directives are established by State and Territory legislation. They allow for specific future treatment decisions and, in some States and Territories, the appointment of substitute decision-makers.

Conclusion

Advance care planning is a proactive approach to ensure that a person’s healthcare preferences are respected.

It involves thoughtful discussions and documentation and can include the selection of a trusted substitute decision-maker. ACP in health and aged care settings can reassure older people that their wishes and preferences will guide future medical decisions.

Find out more

The ELDAC Toolkits contain information and practical materials to improve knowledge and practice around particular topics or practice areas.

The ELDAC End of Life Law Toolkit contains useful information, such as an Advance Care Directives Factsheet which explains key legal principles for Advance Care Directives.