Advance Care Directive (Living Will)

An advance care directive enables you to give binding directions about your medical treatment if a time comes when you are unable to speak for yourself.  In the directive you may stipulate medical treatment preferences, identify how far treatment should go when your condition is terminal, nominate an appointed agent and make provisions about organ donation.

In Victoria, there are two types of advance care directive:

1. a values directive – which records your values and preferences for medical treatment
2. an instructional directive – which makes legally-binding directions to your health practitioners, consenting to or refusing future medical treatment

The estate planning lawyers at Parke Lawyers can assist guide you as to how to decide which advance care directive is best suited to your individual needs. In addition, we can guide you through the process of storing the directive on the federal government My Health Record website.