Planning ahead helps you prepare for the future and ensures your personal wishes are known and respected.
Unexpected events like accidents, illness, or death can occur at any time. It is important to write down your wishes and talk about them with your loved ones. Planning ahead can reduce stress and conflict for your family during difficult times and help protect you or someone you care about from mistreatment.
Use legal tools like Advance Care Directives, Enduring Power of Attorney, Wills, and organ and tissue donation decisions to ensure your choices are known and respected if you cannot express them in the future. Give certified copies to your loved ones, GP, legal team, and local hospital.
Complete an Advance Care Directive
An Advance Care Directive is a legal form for people over 18 to:
- Record their wishes for future health care, living arrangements, and personal matters.
- Choose someone to make these decisions if they cannot do it themselves.
Where to get your Advance Care Directive kit
- Online: visit the Advance Care Directives website to download, print or complete your Advance Care Directive online.
- Service SA: collect a free Advance Care Directive Kit from Service SA or have it delivered (postage fees apply).
- Local libraries: pick up an Advance Care Directive kit from selected local public libraries.
Advance Care Directive information sessions
Information sessions and/or workshops are available on how to complete an Advance Care Directive.
Find a session near you:
- City of Victor Harbor, District Council of Yankalilla and Alexandrina Council
- Rural City of Murray Bridge, Coorong and Mid Murray Council regions
- City of Onkaparinga, City of Marion, City of Mitcham and City of Holdfast Bay
- Adelaide Hills Council and District Council of Mount Barker
- City of Charles Sturt, City of West Torrens and City of Port Adelaide Enfield
Other resources for Advance Care Directives
- Guidance about Advance Care Directives on SA.GOV.AU
- The Legal Services Commission provides free legal advice, phone 1300 366 424
Create an Enduring Power of Attorney
Creating an Enduring Power of Attorney allows someone you trust to manage your financial and legal affairs. This arrangement continues even if you become legally incapacitated, and decisions need to be made on your behalf.
Important to know: You cannot make a power of attorney after you have become legally incapacitated. You can cancel your enduring power of attorney at any time, if you still have legal capacity.
Purchase an Enduring Power of Attorney Kit
The Legal Services Commission of South Australia has Enduring Power of Attorney Kits available to purchase. The Kit includes the forms you will need and explains how to complete and use them.
Services to help you
The Public Trustee provides Will making and Enduring Power of Attorney services to people who have certain concessions or are under administration or guardianship orders from SACAT or the Courts. To learn more and see if you qualify, please visit the Public Trustee website.
Other resources for Enduring Power of Attorney
More information about making a power of attorney can be found on SA.GOV.AU.
Make a Will
Make a Will and nominate who you want your property and possessions (your estate) to go to after you die.
You do not need a solicitor to make a Will, but using one ensures your Will is legal and less likely to be contested.
If you do not have a legal Will, South Australian laws determine how your estate will be divided.
The Legal Services Commission of South Australia provides free information and legal advice on Wills. Or you could engage a private lawyer.
Further information about making a Will can be found on SA.GOV.AU.
Record your wishes about organ and tissue donation
Registering for organ and tissue donation is voluntary.
You can record your wishes regarding organ and tissue donation by registering at DonateLife or on your SA driver's licence. All you need is your Medicare card.
Remember to talk with your family and those close to you about your decision.
More information can be found on the DonateLife website.
Assistance for people with dementia
The University of Sydney - Cognitive Decline Partnership Centre and Advance care planning page offers resources to help people with dementia plan for their future. This includes planning for money, health, daily life, and personal matters, so they can make informed choices about their care.
Dementia Australia's Planning Ahead resources help make sure your wishes are respected as dementia progresses, giving you peace of mind.
Plan Ahead Week
Every year, Plan Ahead Week reminds us to document our financial, health, legal, and personal wishes. This ensures our choices are respected if we can't make decisions ourselves.
Promote planning ahead using our free resources below.
Plan Ahead videos
Planning Ahead conversation in:
- English — Planning Ahead conversation (YouTube 4:08 minutes)
- Greek — Planning Ahead conversation (YouTube 4:36 minutes)
- Italian — Planning Ahead conversation (YouTube 4:11 minutes)
- Vietnamese — Planning Ahead conversation (YouTube 4:10 minutes)
Advance Care Directives
- Planning ahead - Advance Care Directives (YouTube 5:08 minutes)
- Advance Care Directives - Consumer Stories - April (YouTube 1:27 minutes)
Enduring Power of Attorney
Wills
Organ and tissue donation
- Planning Ahead - Organ and Tissue Donation (YouTube 3:41 minutes)
- Planning Ahead - Transplant Recipient (YouTube 4:08 minutes)
Living with Dementia
Office of the Public Advocate
Plan Ahead printable resources
To order any of the below resources, email your request to OFAWEngagement@sa.gov.au.
Plan Ahead information brochures
English information brochure (PDF 279.5 KB)
Greek information brochure (PDF 205.3 KB)
Italian information brochure (PDF 198.7 KB)
Vietnamese information brochure (PDF 315.1 KB)
Frequently asked questions brochure
English frequently asked questions brochure (PDF 81.5 KB)
Greek frequently asked questions brochure (PDF 335.0 KB)
Italian frequently asked questions brochure (PDF 162.1 KB)
Vietnamese frequently asked questions brochure (PDF 346.3 KB)
Infographics and posters
Plan Ahead infographic poster A4 (PDF 89.8 KB)
Plan Ahead postcard A5 (PDF 92.6 KB)
Plan Ahead poster A4 (PDF 103.2 KB)