For seniors, the golden years are a fulfilling time of new experiences, freedom, and a journey of self-discovery. While it’s a liberating chapter of life that is brimming with opportunity, it’s also an important time for seniors to reflect on their values, beliefs, and wishes with regards to future healthcare treatment. The process of thinking about, communicating, and writing down these wishes is called Advance Care Planning. For BC seniors at a Kamloops active living community, creating an Advance Care Plan is a way of ensuring their voice is heard in the event that they become incapable of expressing their care preferences, while guiding loved ones and healthcare providers forward in a clear direction.
What is an Advance Care Plan?
An Advance Care Plan is a document that outlines a capable adult’s wishes or instructions to guide a substitute decision maker if they are asked by a physician to make a healthcare treatment decision on the adult’s behalf.
What does an Advance Care Plan include?
In addition to a written summary of the adult’s healthcare preferences and instructions, an Advance Care Plan includes:
- A Representation Agreement with written instructions and the name of the person being designated as the substitute decision maker in the event that the adult is incapable
- An Advance Directive (often referred to as a living will) for healthcare providers that outlines a person’s wishes with regards to medical treatment preferences
- An Enduring Power of Attorney, appointed by the adult to make decisions about their financial affairs, property, and business
Why is Advance Care Planning Important?
While creating an Advance Care Plan can feel like an unpleasant, burdensome task, it’s an essential tool for seniors to use to advocate for themselves and matters related to their health and welfare. By reflecting on future personal care wishes, seniors are able to provide loved ones and healthcare professionals with clear instructions, saving them the added stress and guesswork that would result without a plan in place. Advance Care Planning empowers seniors living in BC to take an active role in determining the care they receive, which preserves their autonomy and dignity as they age. It also gives seniors the right to choose or refuse life-sustaining measures or aggressive medical interventions which play a major role in a person’s quality of life.
Tips for Creating an Advance Care Plan in BC
Preparing an Advance Care Plan can feel like an overwhelming task for seniors in BC. That’s why it’s important to allow ample time and space for reflection, while having important conversations with loved ones and healthcare providers to ensure everyone is on the same page. At our Kamloops independent living community, we are committed to helping seniors navigate life in retirement, with resources designed to educate and empower the elderly. Here are a few of our tips for BC residents and seniors who are preparing an Advance Care Plan.
Start as Early as Possible
Creating an Advance Care Plan can be easily postponed or forgotten, especially for active seniors in a Kamloops independent living community. But, as life can be unpredictable, it’s never too early to start the conversation about a senior’s beliefs, values and wishes when it comes to their health. An Advance Care Plan is critical in shaping an individual’s future healthcare journey, so the sooner these wishes can be recorded and expressed, the better prepared the family will be for the future. Creating a healthy dialogue between seniors, loved ones and healthcare providers is an excellent place to start, before the official document is prepared. We encourage seniors to have as many conversations as they need, so that they feel confident that their preferences have been shared and will be honoured.
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Yourself the Hard Questions
While preparing an Advance Care Plan, seniors can ask and reflect on a series of questions, such as:
- “What are my beliefs and values when it comes to end-of-life care?”
- “What are my fears and concerns about my future health?”
- “What type of quality of life do I want to maintain, even if I face serious illness or decline?”
- “Are there specific medical interventions or treatments that I would or would not want?”
- “Under what circumstances would I want to stop aggressive medical treatments?”
- “Who do I trust to make healthcare decisions on my behalf if I become unable to communicate?”
- “What are my preferences regarding pain management and palliative care?”
- “How do I envision my end-of-life care, including who is with me and where I want to receive care?”
- “Do I have any religious beliefs that impact my healthcare decisions?”
Follow BC’s Provincial Guide and Workbook
When creating an Advance Care Plan, seniors can follow BC’s provincial guide and workbook, MyVoice: Expressing My Wishes for Future Health Care to advise loved ones and healthcare professionals of their wishes. This workbook is available for download on the Government of BC website in 11 languages.
Tip: A helpful step-by-step guide is available as a starting point to help seniors in the early stages of creating their Advance Care Plan. This is available as a PDF on the Government of BC website.
Remember You Can Change Your Advance Care Plan at Any Time
In BC, capable adults can make adjustments to their Advance Care Plan at any time. While it may not be necessary to make many, if any, changes to this document, having the flexibility to do so can alleviate pressure during the decision-making process and inspire seniors to take action sooner.
Store Safely and Print Extra Copies
Once a senior has successfully created an Advance Care Plan, extra copies can be printed and provided to loved ones and healthcare providers, and a primary copy should be stored in a safe and accessible location in their place of residence. Seniors in a Kamloops active living community may opt to store their primary copy in a desk drawer or an accordion folder to prevent the pages from becoming damaged, lost or wrinkled.
Summary
For seniors living in BC, Advance Care Planning is an indispensable process that ensures individuals and loved ones are prepared for the uncertainties that lie ahead. An Advance Care Plan helps seniors articulate their beliefs, values, and wishes while making informed decisions about future medical care. Embarking on this journey involves the cooperation of loved ones and healthcare providers as they support the individual in making the choices that are right for them while honouring their perspective. As an Advance Care Plan requires considerable time and thought, it’s important to initiate important conversations as early as possible to help set the family—and individual—up for the best possible outcome in the future.
Get Started
Ready to start the Advance Care Planning process? Visit the Government of BC website to learn more and download the Advance Care Planning guide.
Ready to discover what life is like for seniors at a Kamloops active living community? Book a tour of the stylish retirement condominiums at The Residence at Orchard’s Walk today. Located in the beautiful Valleyview Corridor of Kamloops, BC, this active living retirement residence features weekly housekeeping, restaurant-style dining, and more elevated services to complement seniors’ active lifestyles.