In March 2014, new NT legislation was passed that allows Northern Territory residents to lodge a legally binding ‘advance personal plan’. The purpose of the plan, also called a ‘living will’, is to ensure a person’s wishes on things like future health care, organ transplants, life support, accommodation and finance are respected in the event that they’re incapacitated.

• Advanced consent decisions: a legally binding document that outlines the person’s decisions relating to future health care. For example, someone might make an advance consent decision refusing to have chemotherapy or radiation in the future.

• Advanced care statements: sets out the person’s views, wishes and beliefs on how they want anyone to act if they make decisions for them. Advance care statements can be made about a wide range of things, such as accommodation, day-to-day living matters (such as diet and dress), health care, relationships with other people, employment, education, banking and property ownership. 

• Decision makers: the person can appoint one or more people to make decisions on their behalf if they lose decision-making capacity.

Advance personal plans are not just for older people, either. Anyone can be injured at any age and robbed of their decision-making abilities.

Contact us for a chat about developing an advance personal plan for you or someone in your family.