CHATFIELDS LAWYERS AND CONSULTANTS PRACTISES IN AREAS OF LAW AND DISPUTES PERTAINING TO, ELDER LAW, GUARDIANSHIP AND ADMINISTRATION, HEALTH LAW, MENTAL HEALTH, INQUESTS, DISPUTE RESOLUTION, LITIGATION, AND WILLS AND ESTATES.

Advance Care Planning may sound like it should only be considered for the elderly, however, it is important to prepare the future of medical, legal and financial matters for all sorts of situations and families, even when healthy. Advanced Care Planning is a measure for anyone who wants peace of mind before they age and lose capacity to make decisions for themselves.

In plain terms, whilst today you might be healthy, tomorrow you might not, and this is about having your plan on record so that your wishes can be granted and considered, should something happen. This 'living Will' will help your family avoid emotional disputes that may occur if no plan was left for them to follow and they don’t know what your wishes would be.

In the event that you or a family member develop some impairment on decision-making or communication capacity, Advance Care Planning will ensure you have already appointed a person whom you trust to act as an Attorney. They will manage your affairs in the future, including your own Medical Attorney to make decisions around your health care.

The benefits to creating an Advance Care Plan include:

  • Relieving stress for your family or loved ones in a future situation
  • Clarifies your wishes for treatment in the future if you lost capacity to make decisions or communicate those decisions
  • It gives you and your family peace of mind.

Some of the decisions an Advance Care Plan helps your make might get you to consider:

  • The types of medical treatment you would want or wish to refuse for either a current medical condition or one that you may face in the future
  • What kind of accommodation you would wish to reside in
  • What religious or cultural values you would wish to be maintained – what is important to your values
  • Who you would want to make medical decisions for you

Some of these discussions might seem intimidating and confronting, but our lawyers at Chatfields Lawyers and Consultants ensure they make clients feel supported and understood, as well as making this process as stress-free as possible. Our team can assure clients that creating an Advance Care Plan will significantly reduce stress in the future.  It is a personal piece of insurance for peace of mind.