2 days ago
"Nobody Knows" – A Call To Plan For The End That Comes To Us All
Advance Care Planning Australia (ACPA) is calling on Australians to mark Dying to Know Day on Friday 8 August, by having honest conversations about future health care and end-of-life preferences – before it's too late.
Now in its twelfth year, Dying to Know Day is a national campaign powered by Proveda, aimed at reducing the stigma around death, dying, and grief. This year's theme, 'Nobody Knows', highlights the heartache and confusion families and health professionals face when a person's values and wishes are unknown or undocumented.
Despite the inevitability of death, research shows that many Australians remain unprepared. Few have had meaningful discussions with loved ones, and only a small percentage have completed an Advance Care Directive, appointed a substitute decision-maker, or documented their preferences for future care.
'We'll spend hours planning a holiday, but won't spare five minutes to talk about our final wishes,' says Dr Catherine Joyce, National Manager, Advance Care Planning Australia. 'This isn't about doom and gloom—it's about taking control of your final story.'
Despite the inevitability of death, most Australians remain unprepared. ACPA's recent research showed:
Fewer than one in ten have completed an Advance Care Directive
Only about one in eight have appointed a substitute decision-maker
Most people - seven out of ten - haven't had a simple conversation with loved ones about their preferences for care.
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Advance Care Planning Australia provides a suite of free tools and resources to help individuals, families, carers, and health care professionals make advance care planning a normal part of life. These include conversation starters, free online learning, resources and information in other languages and free advice via the National Advance Care Planning Advisory Line
ACPA's message this Dying to Know Day is simple – start the conversation. Talk about your choices and share them with the people who matter.
For free advice or to request a free starter pack, visit or call the National Advance Care Planning Advisory Line on 1300 208 582, Monday to Friday, 8am–4pm (AEST).
Advance Care Planning Australia is an Australian Government initiative delivered by Metro South Health.
What is advance care planning?
Advance care planning involves planning for your future health care. If you become seriously unwell and unable to communicate or make decisions about your own health care, who do you want to make them for you? What would you want them to do?
About Advance Care Planning Australia
Advance Care Planning Australia™ (ACPA) is an Australian Government initiative administered by Brisbane South Palliative Care Collaborative, Metro South Health. ACPA is the national voice on advance care planning and supports individuals, health and aged care providers to ensure people's preferences and wishes for future health care are known and respected. We promote a national collaborative approach by focussing on improving advance care planning policy and systems, community awareness, understanding and uptake, workforce capability and quality monitoring and evidence.
