Planning Ahead: Advance Care Planning

A Personal Directive is a legal document where you can write out your instructions and/or possibly name an individual —an agent—to decide on personal matters if, due to injury or illness, you can no longer make personal choices.

A Personal Directive deals with personal matters only, such as where you live and the medical treatment you will receive. The Enduring Power of Attorney deals with financial matters. (Learn more about an Enduring Power of Attorney in part 3 of this session).

Here we have a conversation with lawyer, Doris Bonora. It is one of several videos in this session where we find out what legal and financial documents need to be prepared and what needs to be done to ensure the concerns and wishes of the person living with dementia are met.

In this video, Doris explains the importance of Personal Directives.

Feel free to make some notes as you listen.

Key Points

As the disease progresses, your substitute decision-maker (or agent) will have to make decisions about your care. For most people, making decisions on behalf of another person is difficult. By talking to your decision-maker now about the level of care you wish in the future, you will make those choices easier for your care partner. You will also have the comfort of knowing that your future care will be in good hands.