Southerners encouraged to make an Advance Care Plan

Staff, patients and residents across the Southern district are being encouraged to think about, talk about and share what matters to them for their future health care for Advance Care Planning Day on Thursday 5 April.

The national day, formerly ‘Conversations that Count’ day, aims to raise awareness about Advance Care Planning amongst the general public and encourage people to start important conversations with whānau/family and loved ones about their future care in the event that they cannot talk for themselves.

An advance care plan records what is important to an individual and their wants and hopes for their future health care. This can be based on a person’s values and personal views, and how they would like those caring for them to look after their spiritual, cultural, emotional and physical needs.

WellSouth’s Clinical Advisor, Dr Stephen Graham says “Every single one of us could benefit from having discussions with our loved ones about our personal health wants and wishes for the future. Completing an advance care plan makes it much easier for families/ whānau and health care providers to know what the person would want - particularly if they can no longer speak for themselves.

“We’re encouraging people to have the conversation with their whānau/family but also with their health care professionals, especially GPs. They play an important role in advance care planning even though it can be a difficult conversation to have with patients.”

Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer and Southern DHB’s clinical sponsor for advance care planning, Jane Wilson recently completed her own advance care plan and says

“Having a plan is particularly important if a person becomes too unwell to communicate their wishes with their loved ones and their health care team.”

An advance care plan focuses on and involves both an individual and the health care professionals responsible for their care, and may also involve their whānau/family and/or carers, if they wish.

General practices, aged residential care facilities, hospitals and hospice services across the Southern Region will be displaying and distributing posters, pamphlets and information to the general public and staff to help raise awareness of the day and help trigger important conversations.

Advance care plans can be completed online at www.advancecareplanning.org.nz, or a plan template can be downloaded to complete later.  There are also a number of free resources to help you think about and prepare your advance care plan.    

*Photograph of Southern DHB Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery, Jane Wilson discussing her advance care plan with WellSouth’s Clinical Advisor, Dr Stephen Graham