Planning ahead


Finding all your personal, financial and legal paperwork and deciding what to do can be difficult. However, planning ahead is important whether you have a serious illness or not. Getting your affairs in order can help you feel more in control of your life, bring a sense of relief, and allow you to focus on treatment and living.

Organising your paperwork

It’s helpful to have all of your paperwork up to date and in one secure place. Important documents to get together might include:

  • birth, marriage or divorce certificates, passport
  • bank and credit card information, passwords
  • investment details (e.g. shares, funds)
  • Centrelink and Medicare details
  • superannuation and insurance information
  • house title/lease documents, loan details (e.g. house, car)
  • will, document appointing a substitute decision-maker, advance care directive and funeral information.

Discuss your legal arrangements with your family, and let someone know how to contact your lawyer.

Get financial and legal support

Dealing with bills and debts

There are many different types of costs associated with cancer that can add up. If you are struggling financially, this can increase worry and stress. 

Ask your doctor whether there are ways to reduce your treatment costs. They can also refer you to a social worker for advice. Depending on your circumstances, you may need to consider ways to manage the financial impact of advanced cancer. 

Making payment arrangements

Accessing superannuation early 

Check your insurance

 

Making a funeral plan

Some people may choose to plan their own funeral. You can discuss your wishes with your family and friends, lodge a plan with the funeral director of your choice or record your wishes in your will. The executor should follow the directions in your will, but is not bound to do so.

You can personalise your funeral to suit your cultural or spiritual beliefs. You may have just a few simple requests for music you want played or poems you’d like read, or you may have ideas for the full service. You can also choose not to have a funeral at all or to have a non-traditional event such as a celebration of life.

If you change your mind, you can alter these arrangements at any time. To prearrange or prepay a funeral, talk to a funeral director.

It’s important to let your family know of any arrangements you have made. Copies of a prepaid funeral contract should be provided to members of your family or filed with your will.

Read more about facing end of life

Advance care planning

It can be a good idea to plan for your future medical treatment and care, and to discuss your preferences and values with your loved ones and health care team. This process is called advance care planning, and it helps ensure that decisions are made that respect your wishes.

Advance care planning involves appointing a substitute decision-maker and completing an advance care directive. Your advance care documents can be as simple or as detailed as you like, and can reflect any religious, cultural or spiritual beliefs you hold.

Advance care planning doesn’t mean that you have given up or will die soon – instead, it gives you the security to know that you have planned for the worst and that you can now focus on treatment and living. It only comes into effect if you are unable to make decisions for yourself.

Studies show that families of people who have done advance care planning feel less anxiety and stress when asked to make important health decisions for other people. Each state or territory has different laws about advance care directives and substitute decision-makers.

Steps in advance care planning

  1. Talk to others – reflect on your preferences and discuss your choices with family and friends. Try Palliative Care Australia's discussion starter pack.
  2. Record your treatment goals – documents must include the names and contact details of your substitute decision-maker, outline of treatments, care or services that you do or do not want and a signature and date for both you and your witness. 
  3. Make copies – Share copies of your advance care documents with your GP, oncologist, palliative care team, substitute decision-maker, hospital and family or friends. Ask your doctor or hospital to include the plan in your medical record, and save it online. Review the documents regularly and update them whenever your wishes change.

Create your plan

Preparing legal documents

If you have not already done so, now is the time to think about making a will, appointing a substitute decision-maker, and preparing an advance care directive. For any of these documents to be legally binding, you need to have capacity at the time of signing the document.

Having capacity means you are able to understand the choices that are available and the consequences of your decisions, and can communicate your preferences. For more information, talk to your doctor and lawyer.

Making a will

Appointing a substitute decision-maker

Making an advance care directive

Voluntary assisted dying

 

Living with Advanced Cancer

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