All Jamati Libraries now have an Elders’ Resource Corner. This Corner contains several brochures and pamphlets relating to various types of Government resources available in your local community, including accessing affordable housing and Government grants for house renovations. There are also several brochures available on various health related issues as well as BC Seniors’ Guide which has a wealth of information. Resource Members:
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Advance Care Planning
Making Future Health Care Decisions
Advance care planning begins by thinking about your beliefs, values and wishes regarding future health care treatment. It is about having conversations with your close family, friends and health care provider(s) so that they know the health care treatment you would agree to, or refuse, if you become incapable of expressing your own decisions.
When you write down your wishes and instructions for future health care, you are making an Advance Care Plan. An Advance Care Plan is a written summary of a capable adult’s wishes or instructions to guide a substitute decision maker if that person is asked by a physician or other health care provider to make a health care treatment decision on behalf of the adult.
Your Advance Care Plan can also include:
- A Representation Agreement where you write your instructions and name someone to make your health and personal care decisions if you become incapable.
- An Advance Directive with your instructions for health and personal care that are given to your health care provider, which he/she must follow directly when it speaks to the care you need at the time.
- An Enduring Power of Attorney where you appoint someone to make decisions about your financial affairs, business and property.
Steps to Creating Your Advance Care Plan
Step 1: Download the Advance Care Planning Guide.
The B.C. government's advance care planning guide is called My Voice: Expressing My Wishes for Future Health Care Treatment. You can use it to learn about advance care planning and also to make your own advance care plan that will serve as your voice in the future. Please note that you can select the pages to print from the document below (i.e. forms). You do not have to print the entire document.
My Voice: Expressing My Wishes for Future Health Care Treatment (PDF)
www.health.gov.bc.ca/library/publications/year/2013/MyVoice-AdvanceCarePlanningGuide.pdf
If you wish to order hard copies of the My Voice: Expressing My Wishes for Future Health Care Treatment guide in single or in bulk (English only), please visit Crown Publication’s website or call Crown Publications staff Monday through Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm Pacific Standard Time at: Telephone: 250-387-6409 or 1-800-663-6105 (toll-free in BC). A charge for shipping and handling, plus applicable taxes will be applied to your order.
Step 2: Have family conversations about your beliefs, values and wishes.
Every advance care plan starts with conversations between you and your trusted family members or friends. It may feel hard to get started, but usually the people who care about you will understand the need for these conversations.
Step 3: Decide what health care treatments you will or won’t accept, and note them in the guide.
It’s important to think about when you might want to accept life-supporting interventions — things like breathing machines, or feeding tubes. You should also think about when you might prefer not to have life support or life-prolonging interventions.
Step 4: Gather the contact information for the people who could be individually asked to be your Temporary Substitute Decision Maker (TSDM) if a health care decision is needed for you, and write it down in the guide.
If you don’t like the order of people to be asked on the Temporary Substitute Decision Maker list, or if you have many adult children, or if you would rather have your friend, not your brother for example, be asked to make health care decisions for you, then you can choose the person you want to decide for you by naming them as your Representative in a legally binding Representation Agreement, so that your health care provider can ask them instead.
Step 5: Put your Advance Care Plan in a safe, accessible place.
Your Advance Care Plan is a really important document. If you have a chronic health condition, if you engage in high-risk activities, or even if you’re just marking a significant birthday, you should have an Advance Care Plan. Make sure the people who need it, can find it, quickly. You can change your advance care plan at any time as long as you remain capable.
If you need help finding the advance care planning guide, call HealthLink BC, toll-free at 811 (dial 711 for deaf and hearing-impaired [TTY] assistance).
IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS & WEB LINKS
- Visitation Line: 604-438-4010 ext. 830
- Canada Pension Plan
- Retirement Pension, Disability Benefits, Death Benefit, Children's Benefits, Survivor's Pension: 1-800-277-9914
- HandyDart (everyday): 604-575-6600
- HealthLink BC (24/7): 811 or www.healthlinkbc.ca
- Seniors Health Care Support: 1-877-952-3181
- Seniors Distress Line (24/7): 604-872-1234 or www.crisiscentre.bc.ca
- Community and Govt. Services (24/7): 211 or www.bc211.ca