Advance care planning video for branded content
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00:00 Welcome to the first of our In Conversation, where today I'll be talking with Dr Greg Parker
00:07 about what advanced care planning is and how to support a conversation with your health
00:17 professionals about your advanced care plan.
00:21 I'm Lesley Hable and I'm the National Manager for Advanced Care Planning Australia. In the
00:27 spirit of reconciliation, Advanced Care Planning Australia acknowledges the traditional custodians
00:33 of country throughout Australia and their connection to land, sea and community. We
00:40 pay our respects to their elders, past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal
00:47 and Torres Strait Islander peoples today. We also pay our respect to anyone going through
00:53 sorry business.
00:57 And today's guest with us is our co-director, Dr Greg Parker, who is also the Director of
01:04 Brisbane South Palliative Care Collaborative. Greg's going to be talking to you about how
01:10 you can talk with your GP or health professional about your advanced care plan.
01:17 So Greg, in your words, what is an advanced care plan?
01:21 Certainly, an advanced care planning is really about looking at planning for future health
01:28 care needs. In essence, it involves contemplating what's important to us, considering who we
01:37 would entrust with making decisions on our behalf and talking on our behalf. If we weren't
01:48 able to voice what is important and matters, especially when it comes to treatments that
01:55 would be important for us or we'd want and our thresholds and treatments we wouldn't
02:04 want. But also, it's more than that. It's about our values. Who am I as a person? What
02:10 was important to me? Painting the picture of who we are, our beliefs, our preferences,
02:17 our wishes.
02:20 Just reflecting on that, Greg, I suppose it depends on the scenario too, doesn't it?
02:25 Whether you're end of life, whether you've been in a critical incident such as a car
02:30 accident. It's not all about dying, is it?
02:34 No, it's not. And look, there are many hypothetical situations that can be talked about. But I
02:41 think if you bring it back to the essence of who am I as an individual and how do I
02:48 want that to get across to the health professional, to the team looking after me, so that they
02:56 can be best informed to make decisions about my treatment, appropriate treatments, and
03:03 how they can wrap care around me and support my family in delivering that care.
03:11 As a palliative care doctor, you must have supported thousands of people at very vulnerable
03:18 times in their life. How have you found, for you as a health professional, you've been
03:25 able to provide more person-centred care by referring to someone's advanced care plan?
03:30 Yes, and I think that's a really important question, and I think bringing it back to
03:35 person-centred care. We know that advanced care planning is the cornerstone for person-centred
03:41 care. Being able to have a knowledge and know who the person is and the thresholds for what
03:48 they would want in their treatments and not, and where that would be is really important
03:59 in terms of being able to develop that care plan at that critical time and being able
04:06 to support family. I think it's sad when I'm sitting down at consultations or sitting with
04:13 families, especially when someone's in those last phases of life where they are unable
04:19 to make decisions, you know, actively dying, and the question comes across, especially
04:25 when we get involved late, they say, "You know, Greg, I wish we had had those conversations
04:31 early, that I could have had that conversation with mum or dad or my sister or my son early
04:38 on in the piece to know what was important for them." And in fact, I didn't realise this
04:47 is what mattered to them, or I didn't know this about them, and I assumed things.
04:55 If they had have had that conversation early.
04:58 So Greg, I was just reflecting on my advanced care plan and what matters most to me. So
05:08 what do I need to share with others? And I was thinking about, you know, feeling quite
05:16 powerless at times when I've been in hospital, and having that voice through an advanced
05:23 care plan would be so powerful for me to share what matters most through what I would like
05:33 my health professionals to know about me, such as, "I want my loved ones to remain
05:40 in the room with me when a nurse comes in to do personal care." That really is an intimate
05:47 thing for me, and they know me.
05:52 You're right, you're so right, Leslie. And look, it's more than just the treatments,
05:57 the medical side of things. I think there's so much more to advanced care planning. You
06:04 know, if I was in a space where I was seriously ill, and I've got, you know, my pet, my dog,
06:13 can they come in and spend time with me? And that just creates that additional feeling
06:19 of safety and comfort. Or if I'm in a conversation with someone, actually, I would prefer if,
06:27 you know, my daughter, my son, or, you know, someone I trust is part of that conversation.
06:34 And in fact, you know, even where you find situations occurring where, you know, it's
06:44 as simple as, "I want to be in my garden," you know, and this is really hard, but very
06:50 much, again, I reflect on end-of-life care. Being at home versus being cooped up in a
06:57 hospital bed, or going for a drive, just enjoying a meal somewhere, you know, or going on a
07:03 holiday. That's important to me. Or actually, just going fishing, you know. Those are the
07:09 things that help shape and form the care sort of package that is delivered and the support
07:23 that's required. Because if, as a health professional, we know what's important to the person, we
07:31 can then sit down together with them, their family, their, you know, the entrusted person
07:39 that's going to be being that voice for them, and those that can provide their care and
07:47 say, "How do we shape this so we can ensure people's wishes and preferences are met?"
07:55 I'd like to thank our viewers today for sharing in this conversation with Greg and I. What
08:01 we've heard today, Greg, is that sharing what matters most with your loved ones, your
08:08 substitute decision-makers, and your health professionals really can assist at times when
08:15 you really need good care from your health professionals.
08:20 Absolutely. And again, thank you. Thank you to our viewers for being part of this and
08:25 for you inviting me. Just to emphasise again, advanced care planning is a process that's
08:33 continuous and it will change over time, and that's okay. But the important thing is for
08:40 the conversation to continue.
08:42 Wonderful. Thank you, Greg.
08:44 I'd like to thank our viewers today for joining Greg and myself in conversation. I'd also
08:51 like to encourage you to link in with our Facebook page or link into Advanced Care Planning
08:59 Australia through our website at www.advancedcareplanning.org.au. Thanks so much for joining us, and we'll
09:11 see you in conversation again. Bye for now.
09:14 Bye.
09:15 Bye.
09:17 [Music]