• Now more than ever: advance care planning resources for ‘what matters most’

    Now more than ever: advance care planning resources for ‘what matters most’

    The ‘What Matters Most’ resources are a new addition to the Palliative Care Australia ‘Dying to Talk’ (dyingtotalk.org.au) initiative.

    They include:

    • A What Matters Most Discussion Starter written from the perspective of the older person, with questions about the person, their health and what they might want at the end of their life.
    • A Health and Aged Care Worker Facilitator Guide to assist workers to prepare for and have these important conversations with older people noting the specific needs of people living with dementia
    • A set of What Matters Most Discussion Cards that can be used as an ice breaker or prompts when working through the other materials in 10 languages: Arabic, Croatian, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Maltese, Polish, Simplified Chinese, Spanish and Vietnamese.

    Resthaven Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner, Peter Jenkin, says, ‘These resources assist in education and understanding of end of life decision making for older people, including those living with dementia.’

    ‘Resthaven is nationally recognised for having well-established palliative care services, and we continue to spread the message that talking about those things that are important to you and your family need to be discussed and planned for.’

    ‘Having an advance care directive in place is a vitally important part of ensuring that your wishes regarding your care are known and respected, should you be unable to convey them in the future.’

    ‘The resources are useful for anyone considering how best to approach their advance care planning.’

    ‘Resthaven was actively involved in the development and testing of this resource in early 2019, with Project Officer Palliative Care, Karen Gregory, and Social Worker, Geoffrey Coombe, recruiting clients with dementia from several Resthaven Community Services to trial the resources.’

    In the current environment of the COVID-19 pandemic, advance care planning is especially important for those in the Australian community who are deemed at high risk (and their carers). They are advised to ensure that their healthcare wishes, preferences and choices are known to their family, carers and/or health care providers.

    Follow this link for further information about Advance Care Planning (ACP)

    Resthaven supports older people and their carers throughout metropolitan Adelaide and regional South Australia.