Advance Care Planning Australia and Dementia Australia have jointly developed a position statement on advance care planning and dementia to strengthen policy, practice and system responses across Australia.
This position statement reflects a shared commitment to ensuring that people living with dementia are supported to participate in decisions about their future health care, with their values, wishes and preferences known, documented and respected across care settings.
It also recognises the important role of families, carers and substitute decision-makers, who are often called upon to support or make decisions on behalf of a person as the condition progresses. People living with dementia and carers were actively involved in the development of the statement.
For the workforce across health, aged care and disability sectors, the statement provides a clear, evidence-informed foundation to guide consistent, person-centred practice and strengthen confidence in initiating and supporting advance care planning conversations.
Why this position statement matters
Dementia is one of Australia’s most significant health and social challenges. As a progressive condition, dementia can affect a person’s ability to make and communicate decisions over time. Advance care planning (ACP) plays a critical role in supporting people living with dementia to plan for their future health care, particularly when it is introduced early and revisited over time.
The position statement highlights the importance of:
- early, proactive and ongoing ACP for people living with dementia
- a rights‑based and supported decision‑making approach
- consistency in how ACP is initiated, documented, accessed and enacted across health, aged care and disability systems.
It is intended to inform policy development, strategic planning, service design and advocacy efforts at national, state and local levels.
Our shared position
Advance Care Planning Australia and Dementia Australia agree that:
- people living with dementia have the right to participate in decisions about their health care, with support as required.
- advance care planning should begin early, ideally soon after diagnosis, and continue throughout the course of the condition.
- supported decision‑making is the most appropriate approach to enable people living with dementia to remain involved in decisions for as long as possible.
- health, aged care and disability professionals play a central role in initiating and supporting ACP conversations and require the appropriate knowledge, skills and system supports to do so well.
- health systems must improve the visibility, accessibility and sharing of ACP documentation, including through digital systems such as My Health Record.
- policy, workforce capability and system reform are needed to ensure equitable access to high‑quality ACP, particularly for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, culturally and linguistically diverse communities and other underserved populations.
Download the advance care planning and dementia joint position statement