Take control of your end-of-life care
Why make decisions about your end-of-life care?
At Salveo Healthcare, our vision is to partner with our clients to improve personal engagement in their own healthcare, to improve their health literacy and, to ultimately improve their health outcomes and keep them out of hospital where possible and appropriate. Our Advanced Preventative Care program is an excellent example of this. So, it’s no surprise that we want to make sure that each and every Tasmanian has the opportunity be informed on their end-of-life care choices.
Below we outline three essential decisions to plan your end-of-life care.
Enduring Power of Attorney (EPOA)
An Enduring Power of Attorney is a legal document in which you appoint another person to make property and financial decisions for you. Your Enduring Power of Attorney cannot make medical or lifestyle decisions for you.
Enduring Guardianship (EG)
An Enduring Guardian is a person you can appoint to give consent if you lack the capacity to do so. The Enduring Guardian will make important personal and lifestyle decisions on your behalf. For example, this might be due to an illness or disability. Your Enduring Guardian cannot make financial or property decisions for you.
Advance Care Directive (ACD)
Advance care planning involves discussing your end-of-life care with your family and healthcare professionals. The Advance Care Directive helps you document your wishes for your health care and medical treatment when coming towards end-of-life. Documenting your wishes and sharing them with persons responsible is important in case you lose your decision-making capacity.
Everyone should have an Advance Care Directive however it should be particularly prioritised for those:
- with a life limiting illness;
- with high conflict families;
- at risk of losing your decision-making ability;
- moving into an aged care facility;
- with chronic health problems; and/or
- are without family.
You can find the Advance Care Directive form here.
This information is general in nature and individualised medical advice should be sought from a general practitioner (GP) or appropriate medical practitioner.
Salveo Healthcare provides these blog resources to support Tasmanians as part of the Advanced Preventative Care Program.
