Advanced Health Directives and Enduring Powers of Guardianship are 2 types of documents
available in Western Australia that may be completed as part of the advance care planning process.
Advance care planning involves talking about your values, beliefs and preferences for future health and personal care with your loved ones and those involved in your care.
What is the difference between and Advanced Health Directive and an Enduring power of Guardianship?
| ADVANCED HEALTH DIRECTIVE (AHD) Used to record your decisions about future medical treatment that you would or wouldn’t want. Only comes into effect if don’t have capacity to make decisions for yourself.A doctor must act in accordance with your AHD. AHD has priority over your guardian’s decisions.Must have capacity to sign.Speak to your doctor. Call Healthy WA or Public Advocate. |
| ENDURING POWER OF GUARDIANSHIP (EPG) Appoints a person/people to make decisions about treatment, personal and lifestyle matters when you’ve lost capacity. What powers does a guardian have? Decide where you liveWho you live with.Medical decisions.Who you associate with.What services you receive.A guardian cannot make financial decisions. |
Hierarchy of treatment decision-makers:
Where an AHD does not exist or does not cover the treatment decision required, the health professional must obtain a decision for non-urgent medical treatment from the first person in the hierarchy who is 18 years of age or older, has full legal capacity and is willing and available to make a decision.
| Advanced Health Directive |
| Enduring Guardian with authority |
| Guardian with authority |
| Spouse or Defacto partner |
| Adult son or daughter |
| Parent |
| Sibling |
| Primary unpaid caregiver |
| Other person with close personal relationship |
If urgent treatment is required to save your life or prevent unnecessary pain, health professionals can provide this treatment without seeking consent. However, they will need to seek consent for ongoing treatment.
For further information see
https://www.health.wa.gov.au/~/media/HWA/Documents/Healthy-living/End-of-life/AHD-Guide.pdf
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