IF YOU were unable to speak for yourself, who would speak for you?

And what health care decisions would you want them to make?

Australians are encouraged to consider these questions and discuss their future healthcare preferences with their loved ones.

There is an international public awareness effort coinciding with other countries such as the US, Canada and New Zealand to look at this issue.

About half of Australians will not be able to make their own end-of-life medical decisions, yet few people take the active steps required to enable control of their future health care.

People are challenged to start conversations with loved ones about what quality of life looks like to them and what they value most.

Advance Care Planning Australia is a national government-funded program with a focus week held each year.

Its medical director, Karen Detering, said research shows advance care planning can help alleviate stress for people who find themselves asked to make medical decisions for loved ones in need.

“Yet in Australia, advance care planning is not common or widely understood,” Dr Detering said.

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Typically, she said, we think about life and death as black and white, yet in reality there’s an extended “grey” period, with more of us having ongoing health issues.

“In fact 85 per cent of people die after a chronic illness, not a sudden event,” Dr Detering said.

“We want to empower people to understand they have a choice about their end-of-life care and the steps they can take today to ensure their preferences are known and respected.”

The website offers resources including videos, personal stories and conversation starters, as well as relevant forms for each state and territory.

There is also information on how community groups can get involved.

“Life is unpredictable. Your health status can change in an instant,” Dr Detering said.

“This is a conversation for everyone, not just older Australians.

“We need to move beyond the taboos and discomfort about speaking about dying and treat advance care planning as a normal part of life, not unlike retirement planning.”

Are you looking to chat over coffee, or discuss over dinner or get the conversation started with your loved ones?

It can be tricky to know what to say or how to start chatting about what you value and believe in.

The website acpweek.org.au outlines nine ideas that can help you start the conversation today.

An example of a conversation starter to be found on the webiste is:

“I was thinking about what happened to……...and it made me realise that…….”

See acpweek.org.au for more information about this important topic.

Source: The Senior