Abstract

The north coast area of NSW in Australia has a high aboriginal population. Unfortunately aboriginal people overall have a lower life expectancy and a high incidence of chronic disease. Advance care planning is therefore important for this group of people but can be very difficult when subjects such as death, prognosis and not for resuscitation are not readily discussed. Self determination around end of life care planning is also not seen as a priority for many Aboriginal people.

This talk will explore the approaches used in the advance care planning process in various services that cater specifically for aboriginal people on the north coast of NSW. Approaches that may appear paternalistic to mainstream Australian society will be discussed as well as other methods and tools that shown to be effective.