Living Matters - Advance Care Planning

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"Living Matters" is a national advance care planning (ACP) initiative that promotes open conversations between you, your family and healthcare providers, on your future care preferences. 

The conversations would help your family and healthcare providers know what kind of care you would like to receive should you become very ill one day. 

What are the benefits?

1. It enables you to identify a nominated healthcare spokesperson (NHS) to communicate your wishes and values to the healthcare team, when you become unable to speak for yourself. 
2. It can guide your physicians to make treatment decisions based on your expressed values, beliefs, and personal goals of care. 
3. It can reduce the burden and distress on your family when they are involved in treatment discussions with the healthcare team.

How can ACP improve healthcare decision-making?

ACP facilitates this process by allowing you to:

1. Understand your illness, treatment options and potential medical complications
2. Understand the options for future medical care, in relation to your current state of health
   
3. Reflect on your personal values, beliefs and goals of care
   
4. Identify your wishes and/or preferences towards future care
5. Identify one or more suitable nominated healthcare spokesperson(s)
6. Discuss your care preferences with your family members and healthcare providers
7. Document your advance care plan and review the care plan when appropriate

Who can benefit from ACP?

ACP is suitable for everyone, regardless of the individual's state of health. ACP can be broadly categorised into three approaches:

For patients with more complex conditions, ACP discussions may need to be facilitated by a trained healthcare professional. These facilitators are available in most public hospitals.

If you are a patient at one of these SingHealth institutions and are keen to do an ACP discussion, please contact:

Disease specific ACP is only offered at SGH and NHCS.

For more information on ACP, visit the Living Matters website: www.aic.sg/acp.