An Advance Care Directive is a crucial aspect of ensuring that your healthcare preferences are honoured, especially in the event that you are unable to make decisions for yourself. In the Northern Territory, individuals are encouraged to create an Advance Care Directive to outline their future health care decisions, financial matters, and lifestyle preferences. This blog post serves as a comprehensive guide to help you navigate the process of Advance Care Directive.
A Guide to the Advance Care Directive in Northern Territory
Within the Northern Territory, individuals can establish their preferences through an Advance Care Directive, a legally binding document commonly referred to as a living will. This plan becomes effective should the individual lose decision-making capacity during their lifetime, serving as a directive for medical treatments and other considerations without replacing their will.
Key elements of the Advance Care Directive include the ability to provide instructional directives outlining specific medical treatments that an individual consents to or refuses. Additionally, a values directive can be included to communicate personal beliefs and preferences for the appointed decision-maker to consider when making healthcare choices on behalf of the individual.
One crucial aspect of Advance Care Planning is the appointment of a trusted decision-maker. This individual can be a spouse, parent, adult child, relative, or friend, entrusted with the responsibility of making healthcare decisions consistent with the directives outlined in the Advance Care Directive.
- Specific instructions can be included in the plan, detailing preferences for medical treatments and defining acceptable quality of life standards.
- Advance Care Directive forms, available for download digital forms available via Evaheld, provide guidance on completing the document and require witnessing by an authorised individual as per the form's instructions.
- For individuals unable to express their decisions, healthcare professionals or family members can document preferences on their behalf using the provided form for those with insufficient decision-making capacity.
Regular reviews and updates to your Advance Care Directive are encouraged, particularly in the event of health changes or personal circumstances, allowing individuals to amend or revoke their directives as needed to reflect their current wishes and decisions.
Let Evaheld be your partner on your Advance Care Directive journey and together we can make sure your loved ones are taken care of.
Inquiries and additional support can be obtained from the National Advance Care Planning Support Service, offering guidance and information on care planning practices. Understanding the applicability of the care planning in various states and territories is also crucial to ensure compliance and recognition across different regions.
For detailed legal information on Advance Care Directive laws and related government services, individuals can refer to the Northern Territory Government resources for comprehensive guidance and support.
Learn more about the importance of a secure and easily updatable, accessible and shareable Digital Advance Care Directive
Filling in the Advance Care Directive Form
Before documenting a plan in the Northern Territory, individuals should have an understanding of Advance Care Planning and its processes. This includes learning about the relevant forms and parts of the Advance Care Planning process:
Recording Choices
In the Northern Territory, individuals can record their preferences for future health care, financial matters, and lifestyle in an Advance Care Directive, also known as a living will. This legal document comes into effect when decision-making capacity is lost while still alive, without replacing a will.
Appointing a Decision-Maker
Trusted individuals like a spouse, parent, adult child, relative, or friend can be appointed as decision-makers. They can consent to or refuse treatment based on the lawful statements and decisions outlined in the Advance Care Directive.
Creating the Plan
To create the plan, individuals need to fill in the Advance Care Directive form with specific instructions that must be followed. It is essential for the form to be witnessed by an authorised person listed on the form.
Specific Instructions
The Advance Care Directive allows for detailing specific instructions concerning medical treatments and defining acceptable standards of quality of life.
For instance, individuals can specify withholding or withdrawing life-prolonging treatments like tube feeding or resuscitation in certain situations such as terminal illness with no chance of recovery, severe brain damage preventing communication, or severe injuries with unlikely recovery.
Completing an Advance Care Directive for someone who cannot make or communicate decisions involves using the document for a person with insufficient decision-making capacity form, which though not legally binding, helps in informing care decisions.
It is recommended to upload your Advance Care Directive to My Health Record for easy access. Additionally, registering the plan with the Public Trustee, sharing copies with family, friends, and healthcare providers, and making necessary updates are crucial steps to ensure that everyone is informed about the individual’s preferences.
Evaheld Legacy Vault
Evaheld is dedicated to empowering people to complete their digital Legacy and Advance Care Planning, with an all-inclusive Evaheld Legacy Vault making it easy, enjoyable and secure.
People are fully supported to future-proof their voice for better care and well-being, as well as preserve and share their story and legacy for loved ones and future generations.
And with twelve comprehensive categories that cover over 120 different content types, you can confidently create a family heirloom of true value for your loved ones and future generations.
What you can secure in your Evaheld Legacy Vault
1. Digital & Accessible Advance Care Directive
2. Health & Care Preferences
3. Family History & Legacy
4. Life Story, Memoir & Personal Truths
5. Preserve a Deceased Loved One's Memory & Legacy
6. Messages for Milestone Occasions
7. Legacy Letters & Legacy Statements
8. Life Lessons, Advice, Wisdom
9. Love, Appreciation & Encouragement
10. Future Generations
11. Forgiveness and Reconciliation
12. Funeral Preferences & Messages
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Evaheld Digital Advance Care Directive
Evaheld’s Advance Care Planning section focuses on preserving autonomy and preferences related to medical care. It includes identity preserving “About Me” content, as well as a digital Advance Health Directive, ensuring that people’s voices are heard, and their wishes carried out according to their Healthcare Directive.
A Comprehensive Digital Advance Care Directive is really important to secure for your care, and also to support your family, carers, and medical professionals to provide you with care as per your wishes.
The Top 10 Benefits of a Digital Evaheld Advance Care Directive
- Easy to follow, step-by-step guide, covering all the elements in a comprehensive Healthcare Directive
- Access your plan in an instant, 24/7
- Easily update and share your plan as frequently as you like over your lifetime
- Facilitating instant and seamless sharing with your trusted contacts, including your family, carers, doctor, medical team & lawyers
- Legally valid & secure
- Stored securely and all data kept on Australian servers (ISO 27001 certified)
- Keep your customised Emergency Access Card with you for additional comfort
- Nurses, carers, doctors, aged care and emergency department staff can access the information instantly, 24/7
- Unburden your loved ones from making difficult decisions during critical moments.Your family will appreciate your thoughtful preparation, and conflicts can be minimised.
- Peace of mind for you and you loved ones.
Remember that advance care planning is essential for ensuring that your healthcare preferences are known and respected. Evaheld streamlines this process, making it secure and accessible when it’s needed. By combining identity preserving “About Me” tools, with choice preserving Advance Care planning, Evaheld ensures that individuals’ voices are heard, and their wishes carried out, throughout their care journey.
Learn more about the importance of a secure and easily updatable, accessible and shareable Digital Advance Care Directive, and it’s only $19!
The Benefits of preserving your personal and family story and legacy with an Evaheld Legacy Vault
Right now you can set up your Unlimited Evaheld Legacy Vault for FREE!
And it gives you everything you need to confidently create, safe-keep and share your most precious content, and gain peace of mind knowing that:
1. You’ve unburdened your family and secured your healthcare wishes, with a legally valid Digital Advance Care Directive, and a whole lot more!
2. You’ve secured your family story, history and legacy with the perfect family heirloom and tribute to your family and past generations!
3. You’ve told your story and shared your truths in the hope that they will be a constant source of inspiration and wisdom for your loved ones and future generations.
4. You’ve prepared a priceless gift for your loved ones- that will continue to keep on giving- such as when they receive future milestone messages from you on significant dates many years into the future, ensuring that whenever they need support, you’ll be there.
5. You’ve preserved the important stories and legacies of loved ones that have passed, so that that knowledge is carried forward to future generations and not lost with you.
With over 12 categories covering all your needs, Evaheld also provides custom resources hubs across Legacy Planning and Advance Care Planning to help you get started, including helpful content like how to write powerful personal legacy statements and an introduction to preserving your family legacy.
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Evaheld’s “Connection is all we have” Hardship Policy
At Evaheld we believe that everyone’s story and legacy is worth sharing, so if you or someone you know needs some hardship assistance, please reach out and let us know, and someone from our team will ensure that money will not prevent anyone from securing their story, connections and legacy for loved ones and future generations. Because at Evaheld we believe that “Connection is all we have,” and that every single story and legacy is worth preserving!
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