Ask Joy: Advanced Care Directive

By April Bradford

Dec 9, 2024
Replies 2

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Note from the Editor:
This article was kindly written for the SDC by retired psychologist/ member @Joy Straw.

What is an Advanced Care Directive, and why is it so important to everyone?

An Advanced Care Directive is your way of telling the healthcare system and your family members how you would like to be treated if you have a life-threatening illness or injury, including your right to refuse lifesaving treatment if it goes against your life goals and core values. In short, it lets people know whether you would want invasive treatment if you are critically ill or injured to keep you alive, no matter what.

This is such a difficult conversation to have with anyone, but if you feel strongly about living a quality of life that doesn’t require medical intervention, then you should write an advanced care directive. It also gives you an opportunity to talk with your family about your wishes and help them come to terms with what you would want before it’s necessary to make those decisions.

What is the difference between an Enduring Guardian and an Advanced Care Directive?
An Enduring Guardian is someone appointed to manage your future healthcare if you are no longer able to make decisions. An Advanced Care Directive records a person's specific personal preferences for future healthcare. This importantly includes whether you would accept or refuse treatments for a life-threatening illness or injury.

There are certain requirements in making an Advanced Care Directive. At the end of this article, there are website references for accessing government pro formas. A directive is only valid when it is made voluntarily by the person (no one else has pressured the person to make the decision) and when that person has the mental capacity to make an informed decision. This may vary slightly between state territories, so please check End of Life Law in Australia. A person who has lost their mental capacity cannot make an Advanced Care Directive.

Do you have a valid Advanced Care Directive? Image Credit: Shutterstock

Statutory Conditions for Advanced Care Directives

An Advanced Care Directive must be:
In writing - Most states and territories have an approved form which can or must be used,
Signed by the person making the Directive - who must have the capacity and make the directive voluntarily,
Witnessed - In some places, it must also be witnessed by a health professional, which can be your GP.

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