Publications

What we learned during Advance Care Planning Week 2025

20 March 2025

On Tuesday 18 March, we ran an event for Advance Care Planning week, partnering with Northside Community Services. Nearly 40 people attended to hear from speakers from 8 organisations on a range of topics around ageing, future planning and death. The speakers moved from table to table so everyone had the chance to hear and ask questions in a small group (over a cup of tea and a biscuit, of course). The speakers addressed a variety of topics we get asked about at our Advance Care Planning presentations, so it was great to have them all in one place.

We asked attendees to put something they learned on the ‘Tree of Knowledge’ so we could share the most valuable resources.

Some of the ‘leaves’ say:

Palliative Care ROCKS!
PTG (Public Trustee and Guardian) documents for information on EPoA (Enduring Power of Attorney) and Wills are excellent and easily available on the website.
VAD (Voluntary Assisted Dying) information valuable. Thanks!
Palliative care online learning modules.
Natural Burial option. Fabulous idea.
Help with navigating services.

Here is a summary of the services, information and resources shared by our speakers:

Northside’s Care Finder can help you navigate aged care

Kate from Northside Community Services joined us to speak about the Care Finder Program. Care Finder is a fully government funded program (free), designed to support older Australians who:

Don’t have someone who can support them find and access services
Have English as a second language
Find government services confusing or challenging.

They can help you find out what services are available, get aged care assessments and refer you to programs to support your wellbeing, health and quality of life.

You can find out more about the program and get in contact with them on NCS’ website or call 02 6171 8088. You can get contact details for Care Finders all over Australia on the My Aged Care website.

Aged care and financial information from Services Australia

Emily and Danielle from Services Australia shared information on what support is available to help you access government funded aged care and manage your finances.

Services Australia has Aged Care Specialist Officers who can help you:

understand the different types of aged care services,
know if you’re eligible for government-funded aged care services
get financial information about aged care, and
appoint a representative for My Aged Care.

You can speak to them by phone at 1800 227 475 or make an appointment in person at centres in Belconnen, Gungahlin or Woden.

There is also the Financial Information Service, which anyone can call for free information about all kind of finances, including social security, tax, wages, superannuation and debts. They can help you learn how to budget and plan for retirement and aged care. Call 132 300 and say, “Financial Information Service”.

Advance Care Planning

Janine and Jackie from Canberra Health Services’ Advance Care Planning team joined us to speak about making a plan for your health care if you were not able to speak for yourself. They shared a great infographic explaining the basics:

For more information, check their webpage, or contact [email protected] or (02) 5124 9274.

The Canberra Health Literacy Hub has more information about Advance Care Planning including links to the forms for ACT and NSW residents.

Wills and Enduring Powers of Attorney

Rehana from the Public Trustee and Guardian came along to share information about Enduring Power of Attorney and making a Will. Your Enduring Power of Attorney is important in Advance Care Planning for choosing a decision maker for your health care choices if you can’t speak for yourself. Some useful resources:

If you’re ready to make your Will, they have some low-cost options to get your will completed with a law firm online.

Plan for your pets!

Diane from Pets and Positive Ageing came along to share practical information on how to plan care for your pet if you are unwell, emergency pet boarding and pet friendly aged care. They have a pet care plan template you can use to write down what your pet needs and who should care for them.

You can also put your pets on your Advance Care Plan so if you are not able to speak for yourself, health services know who to contact to make sure they are ok.

They recommended this factsheet on putting your pet in your will to make sure they are cared for.

Support for people with life-limiting illnesses

Linda from Palliative Care ACT joined us to talk about what palliative care is and what services are available to support people with life-limiting illness.

Palliative care is support to help you keep the best quality of life possible when you have a life-limiting illness. It’s not just for the very end of life; you may use palliative care to live well for months to years. Learn more about palliative care on the Canberra Health Literacy Hub.

Palliative Care ACT has a number of helpful services and resources, like Leo’s Place, a home-like environment that offers respite for people with life-limiting illness and their carers. They also have volunteer services in homes, aged care, hospitals and Clare Holland House that provide companionship, emotional support and practical support like help with meals and transport.

Getting ready for Voluntary Assisted Dying

Kate and Emma from ACT Health’s Voluntary Assisted Dying Taskforce came along to answer questions about the implementation of VAD in the ACT, which will start in November.

To access voluntary assisted dying in the ACT you must:

be 18 or older
have lived in the ACT for the last 12 months
have an advanced and progressive medical condition that will cause death and is causing you intolerable suffering
be able to make and communicate decisions throughout the process.

Other options for end-of-life care will be available alongside Voluntary Assisted Dying and participating in the VAD process will not exclude you from aged or palliative care.

There will be a Care Navigation Service to help people understand the process and find a health professional. There will also be grief and loss services for supporters and health professionals.

You can find out more and subscribe for updates on the ACT government’s website. Subscribe to HCCA’s newsletter for updates on our involvement in consultations on VAD.

Burials and cremation in the ACT

Phill from Canberra Memorial Parks shared information about the ACT’s public cemeteries and crematorium and how to plan for your cremation or burial. Planning ahead like this can make things much easier for your loved ones emotionally and financially.

Have a look at their pages on End of Life Planning for information on choices like:

if you want to be buried or cremated,
how you would like to be buried (including natural burials),
what kind of funeral you would like and
what religious or cultural traditions you want to be observed.

Thank you!

We want give a huge thank you to all the speakers and attendees for making this event a success. This is a format we haven’t tried in a few years and the feedback has been very positive. We also hope to run a similar event on the south side for Dying to Know Day in August – sign up for our newsletter or follow our Facebook to stay in the loop!