Just six per cent of us have talked about these wishes with a doctor – despite 80 per cent believing it’s important to have the conversation, according to a new survey of 2,100 Australians by Palliative Care Australia (PCA).
It found that if people had prepared for their end-of-life care, it was usually to do with financial decisions rather than health ones, with most people saying they had organised a will, power of attorney or life insurance.
Only one in ten had nominated someone to make healthcare decisions for them, while one in 20 had an advance care plan. A quarter had no documentation at all.
But when people did have the conversation, nearly three-quarters had followed through and prepared documents to support their decisions.
We need to remember that talking about dying won’t kill you.
Why not share your wishes with your family and GP? After all, they are the ones who will have to follow them.
You can find more information about advance care planning on agedcare101 here.
National Palliative Care Week is May 20-26.
