Advance Care Directives are a valuable tool to provide guidance to medical professionals and carers on your end of life wishes.
An Advance Care Directive empowers you to make clear legal arrangements for your future health care, end of life, preferred living arrangements and other personal matters.
An Advance Care Directive (ACD) is a formal legal document, signed by yourself, your Substitute Decision Maker (if appointed) and witnessed by an authorised witness.
Most hospitals will ask for a copy when you are admitted to hospital.
Your ACD assists family and friends, and your medical team, to understand what you require at the end of life and respect your wishes.
In making an ACD you will need to consider if you wish to appoint one or more Substitute Decision Makers (SDM), and if so, consult with the person or people you wish to nominate. The SDM can be a family member, friend or person you trust to make decisions on your behalf. The SDM will make decisions on your behalf only after you lose the capacity to make those decisions for yourself. You may lose decision making capacity as the result of illness, surgery, an accident, or perhaps dementia.
In order to ensure that your SDM and medical team have confidence that the views and values expressed in your ACD are still current, it is recommended that you update your ACD every two years.
You cannot request VAD in an ACD. To request VAD you must make the request yourself and still have decision making capacity, including when the substance is delivered by the pharmacist. Your ACD does not come into effect until after you lose decision making capacity.
VADSA has developed a Dementia Insert which can be added to your ACD. While it does not allow you to request VAD, it provides more information to your SDM and medical team on your end of life treatment preferences.
SA Health provides a detailed guide to assist you in completing your ACD.
The ACD can be completed online or as a hard copy.
You can ask your local MP, local Council or Service SA office for a copy of the ACD book.
Use this link to complete your Advance Care Directive online.