Easier said than done, many people say. But that’s no excuse. There are lots of things people would prefer not thinking about let alone talking about them.

BUT PUTTING OFF talking only kicks the issue down the road. Sooner or later, that conversation has to be had, otherwise things can go horribly wrong – which is the case for far too many people, knowing that with a few minutes set aside to have THE talk can sort out a lot.

So. With March being the month when National Advance Caring Week falls – March 17 to 23 – let’s not balk at having THE talk. Let’s just get on with doing what has to be done. Get those Advance Health Care Plans organised.

As a refresher for those new to this process, as we age, maintaining good health becomes more important than ever and part of good health is good sound thinking that makes plans for future possibilities however they might play out.

When we are able to express our wishes about how we would like our health to be managed and our preferences for treatment options taken into account, is the time when we need to write them down and communicate them to relevant people in our circle. This is particularly so, if we lose the capacity to explain these things for ourselves.

The sooner we start this the better off we all are. It’s covering all bases so to speak, since no one knows what the future holds, and should some event occur that leaves us unable to get our message across, then we have these papers and people to speak for us.

In: ‘Nobody is talking about dying in place’, Anthony Caggiano (The Senior, Marcy 05, 2025) reports that: Jean Kitson, performer and writer has seen the best and worst of palliative care when her parents became sick. She is a patron for Palliative Care Nurses Australia, and has added her voice to calls for better access to palliative care. And to advance planning.

Jean is also the author of We Need To Talk About Mum and Dad.

“We all talk about ageing in place, but nobody is talking about dying in place,” she says. “Palliative care extends your life and extends the quality of your life.”

“I didn’t do all the due diligence that I talk about in the book where you go into residential aged care and you ask them all the questions and you dig deeply, especially things like, ‘Are you trained in palliative care?’ … ‘How do you manage people when they’re dying?,” she notes.

Her experiences have made her realise the importance of planning care for herself and clearly articulating what she wants, making herself comfortable and enabling family and medical professionals to support her decisions.

The message is simple: plan ahead, in advance, now, while things are hunky-dory (fine, satisfactory, going well). Getting life sorted means we move from a state of we ought-of to one of we sorted – literally. That’s reassuring. That would grown ups do. They get their business affairs, that includes us householders, in order. i’s dotted, t’s crossed. Sorted. No regrets. Relief.