This video is part of an ongoing series highlighting available resources in Ontario.
Full video transcript:
Every adult should be engaging in advanced care planning. There’s really no good reason to wait because anything can happen at any time. Advance care planning is something that we all need. It’s really looking at what to do in the future should something change. The really important piece of advance care planning is to put some of those things in place before you become incapable. And then to share that with your substitute decision maker and your substitute decision maker is the person that would make decisions based on your behalf. There’s six familial natural substitute decision makers. I would encourage everybody to find out who that substitute decision maker is. If they’re not comfortable with that person, then you can create a document called a power of attorney for personal care in which you elect somebody to be that person, to make decisions on your behalf. It’s considering what is most important to you in regards to your health and and then making sure that you have conversations with the people that would be making decisions on your behalf if you’re not able to do that. Advance care planning doesn’t have to be something that’s actually written down. It’s really about conversations. Some people will say, I never want to be on a ventilator or, you know, I never want to move to a long term care home. So those discussions and you know, what’s important to you is really important to share with your substitute decision maker. I think it’s something that you should think about at any stage of your life. To evaluate what is quality of life is is a good idea. Certainly when you’re well, it’s harder to think of those things Everyone’s values are different, and I respect that and everyone’s life experiences is very different, and therefore their advanced care plan will be different. It’s not set in stone. It is fluid. And it will change over time. An advanced care plan is a way to share your wishes and beliefs with your substitute decision maker. They would then use that as a guide to make decisions on your behalf. You identify your substitute decision maker through a power of attorney document The key piece is that a substitute decision maker only gets involved when you’re incapable. It’s important to do this while you’re capable, while you are potentially more objective Doing advance care planning is really about helping you to feel confident that the way that you want to be cared for is going to be followed through even when you may not be actively able to engage and make those decisions at that time. I think the benefits of having a plan is to really allow your family to understand your wants and wishes. I think it also helps to formulate your goals of care, because if you have values set in place, it will help to direct what you what you want. Start thinking about what’s important to you. What are your wishes, your values and your beliefs about your health care? Think about what you’re comfortable with, what you’re not comfortable with, and start having conversations with the people in your life that are going to make those decisions on your behalf if you’re not able to. The time for advance care planning is right now.