Advance Care Planning; planning for your future health care 

“Being trusted to listen to a person’s future health care wishes is a privilege” 

Talking about quality of life, treatment preferences and end of life care wishes isn’t always easy — but it’s one of the most important conversations we can have and some people choose to write down their wishes. 

At Eastern Health, the Advance Care Planning (ACP) team are based at Wantirna Health and see patients across all Eastern Health Sites and in the community. 

Samantha Brean, Clinical Nurse Consultant and Advance Care Planning Lead, highlights: 

 “That many people haven’t heard of ACP and one of the most common myths is that it is only about death and dying. Advance Care Planning is for everyone, regardless of age, health, language, or cultural background”. 

Kelly Habjan, ACP Clinical Nurse Consultant, hopes that these conversations can be normalised, evolving over time as circumstances, values and health changes. 

“By having these discussions from a young age, it allows people to explore and express their preferences for future health care. It lets your family know what’s important to you, so if they are ever in a situation where they need to make medical decisions for you, they know what you would want them to say”. 

“Everyone is different, there’s no right or wrong. It’s one person’s view of how they would like to be cared for, which may be different to another person,” Samantha said.  

Jo Robb, Administrator for ACP, is often the first point of contact patients have when contacting the service.  

“It’s incredibly rewarding to support people with empathy and professionalism, and to help make sure their wishes are clearly heard, documented and respected” she said. 

To find out more information about Advance Care Planning at Eastern Health, follow the link: Advance Care Planning | Eastern Health