70 per cent of Australians want to die at home – yet over 90 per cent of us spend our final days in a hospital or nursing home.
Now the Australian Medical Association of Queensland (AMAQ) is launching a campaign called ‘Write Your Own Ending’ asking people to set out their end-of-life wishes – everything from health care to your last drinks (I’ll take your best red thanks).
They want 50 per cent of Queenslanders aged over 50 to have an advanced care plan within five years.
They are also encouraging patients to think about setting up other important legal documents such as an enduring power of attorney, wills and a Statement of Choices, laying out your final requests.
Setting down your wishes
This Statement can then be registered with Queensland Health, so if you’re admitted to any public hospital in the state, staff can know your wishes.
Most of us don’t want to think – or talk – about death – but the reality is we will all die one day.
Advanced care planning ensures you have control when you can’t speak for yourself – and can save a lot of heartache for your family, at a time when they may be too distressed to make difficult decisions.
You can find out more about advanced care planning on agedcare101.com.au here.
