Advance Care Planning - Act while you're still healthy

Shaynee, 65 - Has made an Advance Care Plan:
I think it’s very important to make an Advance Care Plan when you’re reasonably well and where the children, or whoever you’re going to put in charge of your plan - your husband, your wife or whoever, or your parents - I think it’s important that they know it is a genuine wish and philosophy of yours when you’re well.

Ted, 80 - Medical Substitute Decision Maker for wife, Jan:
My advice to people is to try and remember to get all these things in position before it’s too late.

Shaynee:
I don’t think you can say, “Oh, it’s not going to happen to me” and putting it off and putting it off. And the funny thing is, again I go back to my parallel with the will and I say, “Well hang on a sec. You’re saying you’ve got plenty of time – have you made a will?” “Oh yeah”. “How long ago did you make the will?” “Oh, I’ve had a will for about twenty years”. Interesting, isn’t it? Why would you make a will if you’ve got forever? Why would you make an… you know, why would you stall making an Advance Health Care Plan, if you’ve got forever? To me, that, um… I find that odd. You, you don’t insure your health after you’re burgled and you don’t make your will after you die and you don’t make an Advance Care Plan once you’re possibly too ill to make it or incapable of making it. I think it’s something we should all have.

Heather, 53 - Was Medical Substitute Decision Maker for friend, Glenna:
I advocated to, to my father and he’s gone ahead and done it but of course he’s older. I know that it shouldn’t be just older people. Um, I suppose, when people work full-time too, it is fitting it in.

Terry, 80 & Mary-Anne, 49 - Mary Anne is Medical Substitute Decision Maker for her parents:
I’d very, very much recommend this to anybody. Um, I think it’s an excellent plan and why somebody hasn’t thought of it years ago, I’m blowed if I know.

Shaynee:
It’s been interesting when I’ve discussed my Advance Care Plan with family and friends, um, I know that four friends I’ve discussed it with have decided to go across and get a plan and they’ve said “I actually…”, they’ve come back afterwards, um, we have a glass of champagne and discuss it and they’ve said, “You know what? I feel much more, um, peace of mind knowing I’ve done that”.

Heather:
We achieved what she wanted. As I said, if she was alive now and she looked back, she’d be able to say to me, “See, I told you so. I only went to respite”. That to her…to me, that was the best that we could do, if I otherwise hadn’t found or someone else hadn’t found out she’d died at home.

Terry:
This is something that, it, it, it can foresee problems and it can eradicate them before they become problems. And that, as I see it, is, is very, very worthwhile.

Heather:
If you’re referring to a good death, meaning we achieved what she wanted up until she died, yeah, we did.

Shaynee:
I do strongly recommend if…which ever child you choose, if it’s a child, or relative, that you make sure the other relatives get a copy of the plan so there’s nothing clandestine about it or someone saying, “Oh you want to inherit” – because it’s not.

Terry:
The whole concept of it is very, very, um… it’s thinking way ahead of its time and I think it’s great. Not that I want to bring it on in a hurry but…I’d like to see, um, see Carlton win another premiership before it, before that happens.

Mary-Anne:
Good, we might be waiting a while. (they laugh)

Terry:
Oh well.