Many people faced with long-term or degenerative health conditions find that they do not know how to ask the important questions or make the decisions about the care or treatment options they are given by professionals. Consequently, they either receive treatment they do not want or they cannot get the care they would like to have. Advance decisions and advance care planning enable people to record information about the care or treatment they would like to receive in the future. They also encourage conversations with family, carers, and health and social care professionals about their needs and wishes before they experience ill health. This booklet guides people who are approaching middle age and later life through the process of making an advance decision or an advance care plan. It provides a brief description of the legal framework for decision making, gives guidance on how to ask for information to help with decisions, and outlines a suggested framework for the documentation of advanced care planning. It will be of use to anyone who wants to put in place plans for their future care. It may be that they are facing the prospect of future ill health due to a long-term health condition, they may lead a particularly risky lifestyle, or they may simply want to prepare for their later years. The rewritable CD-rom includes a screening questionnaire in preparation for writing a plan and a template advance care plan, both of which can be printed for use. These tools are also available to access and download from our website.
Kim Shamash recently retired from clinical practice after more than 35 years training and working as a doctor in the NHS. During her time as a consultant psychiatrist she had extensive experience of working with older people going through a range of mental health problems including dementia. Always working in multidisciplinary teams, she saw people and their families in their own homes, in care homes and in hospital. She found that many older people have complex combinations of mental and physical health problems, which make decision making confusing and difficult, especially if they are in hospital. In recent years Kim has become passionate about enabling patients to make better informed choices about their care and to feel more in control of their decision making. Her personal experiences and that of family and friends are what prompted her to think about writing a guide for a younger group of people who are reflecting on how their own wishes can be expressed as a result of seeing older relatives going through the health care system.
Contents include; Section 1: The legal framework for decision making; Section 2: Your approach to making decisions; Section 3: Advance care planning; Section 4: Writing an advance care plan; Useful websites; CD-rom.
