Advance care planning involves thinking and making choices now to guide your future health care. It is a process of communicating your wishes. If you have strong beliefs about what you want to happen in the future, it is particularly important to make your plans and wishes known now. You can do this by having a conversation with those close to you and writing down your preferences.

It can be hard to talk about what might happen if you become unwell, but it will give you and your loved ones peace of mind to know that your wishes can be known and respected. Your advance care plan includes the conversation you have with your family, friends and health care professionals and your written documents. Here are some tips to get you started.

The Statement of Choices form focuses on your quality of life and records your wishes and choices for health care into the future. Your advance care planning documents, including your Statement of Choices, will only be used if you are unable to make or communicate your decisions.

Advance care planning resources including information, government links and useful websites. Translated resources are also available in numerous other languages.

Frequently asked questions about advance care planning, the Statement of Choices and other Queensland advance care planning documents – Advance Health Directive and Enduring Power of Attorney, and terminology.

The Statement of Choices is available throughout Queensland. Queensland patients can communicate their health care decisions by completing one or more of the following:

• Statement of Choices
• Enduring Power of Attorney
• Advance Health Directive.

Privacy and confidentiality information for those who have completed a Statement of Choices document for themself or for someone else who has lost the capacity to do so.