Download Advance Care Directives - Your wishes for future care

Advance Care Directives - Your wishes for future
care
Although you may not like to think about it, there could
be times in your life when you are unable to make a
decision or properly communicate your wishes on how
you’d like to be cared for or treated. It could be for a
number of reasons including an accident or mental
health episode, or a sudden illness or injury.
If this happened to you, how would you want decisions
to be made for you about your ongoing health care,
living arrangements or other personal matters? And who
would you want to make these decisions for you?
The new Advance Care Directive is an important step
forward in planning for health care.
It will allow you to:
• write down your wishes , preferences and instructions for your future health care, end of
life, living arrangements and personal matters; and/or
• appoint one or more Substitute Decision-Makers to make these decisions on your behalf if
you are unable to make them for yourself.
Having an Advance Care Directive can make it easier for others to know and act upon your
wishes if they have to make decisions for you. It can also give you peace of mind that your
wishes will be known and be respected if you cannot make these decisions yourself.
You may have heard of documents such as Enduring Power of Guardianship, Medical Power of
Attorney and Anticipatory Direction. If you have completed one or more of these documents in
the past they are still legally effective or you can make a new Advance Care Directive to replace
them.
For more information, or a step by step guide to help you complete and print your own
Advance Care Directive Form, visit www.advancecaredirectives.sa.gov.au
Planning Ahead - Information about financial, legal and personal wishes – such as
Enduring Power of Attorney, wills and registration for organ/body donation, can be
sourced at www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/planningahead
In addition – SAVES Life Values Statement
No matter how careful you may be in setting out your wishes; it is possible that something
unforeseen will arise which will create uncertainty.
SAVES has prepared a two page form that may help in this situation. It allows you to indicate
your wishes on a 5 point scale for 6 specific life situations. It also allows you to request
voluntary euthanasia should it become legal after you have lost competence. Although the Life
Values Statement does not have legal status, it could influence decisions in unusual situations.
Life Values Statement (PDF 21kb)