What's an Advance Care Plan?!

With Dying Matters Week fast approaching in September, now’s a great time to think about an ACP, or Advance Care Plan. So, what exactly is an ACP, who needs one, and how do I go about creating it? These are all great questions, so let’s look at each of them, one by one.

What is an Advance Care Plan?

An Advance Care Plan is written proof of your wishes should you become ill or have an accident. While your will records what will happen after you die, your ACP considers what you’d like to do in the lead up to your death. It explores your beliefs, what’s important to you, what medical treatment you’d be comfortable with (or without), whether you’d like a funeral (and the shape of that), who you want by your bedside, if you want to stay at home, and so on.

An Advance Care Directive is the medical portion of this – it’s a legal document, which stipulates things like whether you’d want to be resuscitated, or have life-extending treatment. For example, I’m happy for St John to give me a nebuliser and other drugs if I have a life-threatening asthma attack, but not so keen to be treated if I have a serious car accident and end up on life support.

Who needs an ACP?

The simple answer to this question is “everyone.” The majority of people in New Zealand die in old age: depending on which calculation you look at, babies born in the early part of this decade can expect to live to 80.5 years for boys or 84 years for girls, according to StatsNZ. That’s just a median of course, and some will die earlier while others will live on well into their 90s. (You can even calculate your own life expectancy with their tool: https://www.stats.govt.nz/tools/how-long-will-i-live/) Regardless, it’s valuable to have an ACP if you’re an adult.

“Oh, but my husband/kids/next-door-neighbour know what I want” is a comment I frequently hear. But if you’re like the majority of Kiwis, you’re probably adverse to talking about death and dying (especially your own), so even if you think others will know what you want, when the chips are down, they may not be so sure. Watch this fabulous Aussie clip - When Love is Not Enough - to see just how wrong people get it. Warning: it contains themes about death: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsZ287okI8

How do I complete an ACP?

There’s a fabulous team who have created hard copy and electronic versions of the ACP for all New Zealanders. You can find more information in multiple languages through the website: https://www.myacp.org.nz/ or just search Advance Care Planning Aotearoa. Of course, doulas like me are happy to go through your ACP with you - this usually attracts a small fee.

What matters most to you when you think about your health changing?

Arohanui, Sandy x