What Is an Advance Statement?

There may come a time in life when an individual can’t make decisions for themselves or express their wishes about care and medical treatment. Advance decisions are a tool used to record our wishes in the present day, so the people around us know exactly how we want to be treated, even when we can’t verbalise our wishes.

Today, we’ll explore everything you need to know about advance statements, including what they are, how to make one, and whether you need a power of attorney.

An advance statement is an official document that records how you want to be looked after if you lose mental capacity. This should be included in your care plan and read by anyone involved in future care needs.

While your healthcare providers should take your advance statement into consideration, it’s not a legally-binding document and can be overruled if in your best interest.

What Does It Mean to Lose Mental Capacity?

Mental capacity is defined as the ability to make, understand and communicate decisions when they need to be made. A person lacking capacity may have a mind that is impaired or disturbed, inhibiting them from making a decision at that time.

You might lose mental capacity for a number of reasons, such as:

Mental health conditions: Illnesses like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder can interfere with a person’s mental capacity.
Dementia: Types of dementia can cause confusion and cognitive decline, contributing to capacity issues.
Severe learning disabilities: These can make it more challenging for individuals to make decisions and communicate them effectively with others.
Brain damage: Conditions like a stroke or traumatic brain injury can damage the brain, inhibiting mental capacity.
Physical or mental conditions: Certain conditions can cause confusion, drowsiness and loss of consciousness, making it very difficult for sufferers to make decisions.
Intoxication: Drugs and alcohol misuse, especially with prolonged exposure, can reduce mental capacity.

Mental incapacity may be determined if an individual cannot understand or remember information surrounding a decision, use said information to make decisions, and communicate their decision through words, sign language or other means.

What Does an Advance Statement Include?

An advance statement can include as much information as you’d like.

Most common things to include are:

Where you would like to be cared for, e.g., a residential facility or your own home
Favourite and least favourite foods and drinks; allergies
Your habits, such as whether you prefer bathing in the morning or at night
Your values, beliefs and religion, and how these might affect your care needs
What you like doing, such as favourite music, books or TV shows
Who you want to be consulted regarding your care
Who can visit you
Anything you don’t want to happen while being cared for

How Can You Make an Advance Statement?

There is no set way of making an advance statement. You could write it by hand and give it to a trusted person to keep safe. Alternatively, you could write it on a computer and send it to loved ones and current healthcare providers, who will use it to honour your wishes moving forward.

There’s no need to sign your advance statement, but this can help confirm its validity and make people more likely to follow your wishes.

People you may want to give a copy of your advance statement to include:

Friends and family members
Your GP
Current carers
Healthcare specialists
A lawyer handling your will
Power of attorney

It’s recommended that you give your advance statement to as many trusted people as possible, as this will increase the likelihood that your wishes will be considered when decisions are made.

Is an Advance Statement the Same as an Advance Decision?

Both advance statements and advance decisions have similar intentions, but they’re not necessarily the same thing.

An advance decision (otherwise known as an advance directive or living will) allows you to say which treatments you want to refuse in certain situations ahead of time. The legal term is an advance decision to refuse treatment (ADRT).

The main difference between the two is that an advance decision is a legally binding document. Once you’ve made this document, your healthcare professionals must all follow it and respect your wishes.

You can use your advance decision to refuse any treatment, including life-sustaining treatment.

This includes:

Food and fluids given through a drip or tube
Ventilators to help you breathe manually
CPR and resuscitation measures
Medication for life-threatening conditions and infections

An advance decision cannot be used to refuse basic care, such as the offer of food and drink by mouth. It also can’t be used to request specific treatments or ask for your life to be ended. You can include these wishes in your advance statement, which is not legally binding.

What Is a Power of Attorney?

If you’re concerned about losing mental capacity, you can choose to give someone else the authority to make decisions about life-sustaining treatment for you. You can do this by setting up a power of attorney.

In England and Wales, if you have both an advance decision and a power of attorney, the most recent one will be used to make the final decision about your health and care needs.

For people with an advance statement and a power of attorney, the latter can override the former, as the latter is not legally binding.

Can You Have Both an Advanced Statement and an Advance Decision?

Yes, you can make both an advance statement and an advance decision. You can even appoint a power of attorney as well, to maximise the chances of your wishes being respected should you lose mental capacity.

The main difference between an advance statement and decision is:

Advance statements can include general information about daily care and your personal habits, wishes and preferences.
Advance decisions are used to refuse specific medical treatments.

It’s a good idea to draft both documents and send them to a few trusted individuals. Try to include as much information as possible about how you’d like to be cared for, as this can help reduce stress and worry about getting older.

How Trinity Homecare Can Help

At Trinity Homecare, we pride ourselves on delivering compassionate care to our clients, as and when they want it. We will keep your advance statement with your living care plan to ensure that any of our carers who work with you read it and honour your wishes.

If you are yet to write your advance statement, one of our carefully-matched can help you do this by ensuring everything necessary is included, such as your personal habits, beliefs and preferences. They can also help you organise your power of attorney and advance decision if you wish.

Talk to us today

At Trinity Homecare, our ultimate goal is to enrich your lifestyle in the comfort and familiarity of your own home. This allows you to live the independent lifestyle that you love without the daunting thought of moving into a care home. We are here to support you with various different forms of live-in care.

Call us now on 0207 183 4884 in confidence for a free no obligation quotation. If enquiring outside of our opening hours, please complete our online form and we will contact you the next day.