Aidan Curtis
RESIDENTS at Hallmont Estate are looking to the future following a presentation on how to properly plan how they want to be cared for one day.
Not-for-profit care provider In Home Hospice Care (IHHC) visited the residents at Hallmont to take them through putting together an Advance Care Directive (ACD).
Dozens of residents attended, bringing with them a few questions and an eagerness to learn.
Hallmont resident Colleen Connell coordinated bringing the presentation to the estate and said it was a good way to dispel some misconceptions around care planning.
She said she’d heard many people offer different opinions about what they should do, but having more access to information was very beneficial.
“Hearing here so many people’s different opinions, they’ve been to a solicitor who filled [an ACD] in quickly for them, one person said,” Ms Connell said.
“I think it’s important we put our own touch on it.”
Sue Jones, also of Hallmont, said the presentation was handy for reminding people how important it was to plan for the future.
“Otherwise, it just gets put on the backburner all the time, you don’t ever quite get round to it,” she said.
“I’ve talked to my kids about what I think, hopefully, will happen and I’m lucky I’ve only got two kids to worry about.
“As long as they know what I want, but by having it written down, they don’t have to decide if it’s now or later; it’s there for the decision to be made.”
IHHC hospice manager Sandi Elliott said getting out to give people more information on ACDs has been very community driven.
“This drive to promote it out in the community has come about from speaking to our normal clients saying what happens in the future,” Ms Elliott said.
“We’ve seen it as a need to fulfil.”
Ms Elliott said the research had shown around 80 per cent of people left care planning too late, which meant they could miss out on the kind of care they wanted.
“To know that your preferences are being followed, your wishes are being followed, I think it’s very important,” she said.
“For your family members and those that are left, to know that they’re fulfilling what you want is also a big stress relief.
“Because you want to do what your loved one wants, and if you don’t know what they want, it can be really confusing.”
IHHC encouraged people to get the ball rolling on their ACD, even if they were still relatively young and healthy.
