Planning for the future

Talking about death doesn’t make it happen any faster...and avoiding talking about it won’t stop it from happening. Not all deaths are expected – accidents happen too.

Planning for your death is relevant at any stage of life – whether you’re a young couple buying your first house or an older person planning end-of-life care – however, talking about dying can be challenging. But being prepared for the end of life means that when it comes it’s one less thing that your family must worry about in their time of grief.

Planning for the Future

Have the Conversation
Sometimes the hardest part about a difficult conversation is starting it. Follow this link for a ‘What matters to me conversation guide’ which can help navigate difficult conversations.

Think about what is important to you
We all have values and preferences related to our health and personal care, and wishes for our future and the future of loved ones. Thinking about one’s values, preferences, and wishes can help make difficult decisions easier for oneself and loved ones when the time comes. Follow the links below to websites that will help with the following:

Write it down
It is a good idea to follow up the conversation by recording the outcomes and putting them in a safe place. This may be writing them down and placing them with your will, or uploading your wishes to your electronic health record. You may also choose to formalise your wishes in the form of an Advance Care Directive. See the links below for information on:

Support to stay at home

Community and home-based care
If you or a loved one wish to stay at home and need assistance to achieve this, you can find support through My Aged Care.

Community Specialist Palliative Care (free service)
Do you or a loved one have a life-limiting illness? Follow these links to learn about how a community palliative care service can support you to live your best life possible.

Community Specialist Palliative Care - Grampians Region

Community Specialist Palliative Care - Barwon South West Region

Flying Doctor Memory Lane (free service)

Support people nearing the end of their life by helping them revisit a place or person of personal significance, to admire their own garden, to feel the breeze of the seaside, or to be surrounded by loved ones and pets. Follow this link to learn more about the Flying Doctor’s Memory Lane service.

Volunteering

Volunteering with an organisation you are passionate about is a great way to get involved with your community. See below for links to local volunteering opportunities at:

Produced by Western Victoria Primary Health Network in collaboration with Grampians Region Palliative Care Consortium, Grampians Integrated Cancer Service and Barwon South West Regional Integrated Cancer Service.

Dying to Know Day is an annual campaign that empowers Australians at all stages of life to live and die well while reshaping how Australians approach death, dying, and end-of-life planning.

The Dying to Know Day campaign is an initiative of The Groundswell Project Australia whose vision is for our communities to help us live, grieve and die in line with our values. This not-for-profit aims to socialise death by encouraging Australians to bring to life conversations and actions to help shift the way we think about death and plan for our end-of-life.