Plan when you're healthy, early

Being able to respect his father's final wishes deepened this man's belief in need for an Advance Care Plan

- JEREMY THESEIRA

Mr Bernard Chan's father struggled to breathe and was no longer able to speak when he was hospitalised in 2017 for a terminal lung disease. No words were necessary. The family knew exactly what the 79-year-old patriarch wanted.

"He didn't want to prolong medical treatments," says the younger Mr Chan, 46. "He wanted to pass away peacefully at home. So we made a very clear decision to discharge him from the hospital."

Together with his two siblings, Mr Chan cared for his father at home for two days before he died in June that year.

The elder Mr Chan's request was stated in the Advance Care Plan (ACP) he made six months before he was hospitalised. Having grappled with the disease since 2000, his worsening condition prompted him to do so.

His daughter, 55, a staff nurse and ACP facilitator, helped draft and register his ACP in the National Electronic Health Records.

An ACP allows people to document their healthcare preferences, and appoint a trusted person to communicate their preferences to doctors and healthcare providers if they lose the ability to decide for themselves.

Mr Chan, an investment adviser who has specialised in estate planning since 2009, is familiar with such medical care options.