Advance care planning is the process where an individual can map out the type of health and dental care they would or wouldn’t like to receive if they became seriously ill, injured or unable to communicate their preferences.
A series of workshops will be held across South Western Sydney in the next three years aimed at helping people plan for their future healthcare needs.
SWSPHN has commissioned the Palliative Aged Care Consultancy Service (PACCS) to deliver advance care planning workshops, with funding provided under the Australian Government’s PHN Program.
PACCS is a palliative care and complex pain management service providing consultancy and education to residential aged care facilities across NSW.
Who is the program for?
- anyone over the age of 18
- people living independently or in retirement villages across South Western Sydney
It is particularly beneficial for individuals:
- over the age of 65
- Aboriginal and Torress Strait Islander people over the age of 50
- individuals with early cognitive impairment
- individuals with a life limiting illness
What you can expect
The workshops are facilitated by specially trained staff who will guide participants through why advance care planning is important and how to get started. Attendees are supported to discuss their future healthcare preferences, complete an advance care plan and, where appropriate, ensure a more formal advance care directive is completed and signed.
They aim to improve access to support and information so more people feel confident discussing and documenting their healthcare wishes, helping ensure their preferences are understood by both family members and healthcare providers.
The workshops will help provide:
- greater confidence in discussing your wishes and preferences
- an opportunity to develop an advance care Directive or complete a Values and Preferences Statement in a 1:1 setting
- community support through a group setting which fosters peer encouragement and motivation
Why it is important
Advance care planning is important for anyone over the age of 18 and involves talking with family, loved ones and health professionals about what health care you would like to receive if you are unable to say what you want.
Despite strong community support for advance care planning, participation rates remain low. A 2025 national Advance Care Planning Australia study found 82 per cent of people agree advance care planning helps others make the right decisions on their behalf, yet only one in three Australians have taken steps to plan for their future healthcare. Just six per cent have completed an advance care directive.
In South Western Sydney, uptake is even lower. Only 3.5 per cent of residents have completed an advance care directive, compared with the NSW average of 14.9 per cent. Similarly, 13.8 per cent have completed an advance care plan, well below the state average of 25.1 per cent.
Having an advance care directive has been identified to help reduce the amount of inappropriate hospital admissions, reduce ambulance call outs and can increase referrals to palliative care services. For an individual it can increase patient and family satisfaction, alleviates anxiety from hospital admission, can ensure a good death and improve quality of life.
Commissioned service provider:
The Advance Care Planning Workshops are funded by South Western Sydney PHN and delivered by Palliative Aged Care Consultancy Services.
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