Plan for your future
Dementia is a life-limiting illness. If you are living with dementia, it is important that you think about, and plan, for your future.
Advanced care planning
A care plan will help you make important choices about your future care.
Advanced care planning (ACP) is about thinking, talking, recording, and sharing what you want to happen when your dementia progresses and you become very ill.
It is important to know and respect a person’s wishes about their care.
Your advance care plan
- is your plan to keep and share with those who are involved with your care
- gives you the chance to think, talk and write down your concerns
- gives you the chance to let people know what is important to you later when you may be unable to do so
- tells people your wishes so they can make decisions for you
- helps you to talk about treatments that may or may not be right for you
- may help you if you choose to appoint a lasting power of attorney
- can help you to talk about emotional and practical issues
Find out more about advance care planning from Dementia UK
The ReSPECT process
This is where you talk about your wishes and write them down in a special document, known as a Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment (ReSPECT)
The purpose of the plan is to guide your doctors, or any healthcare staff, in any choices about your treatment and emergency care.
Read more about the ReSPECT process
Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (BSMHFT)
To find out how you can support someone with advanced care planning and its benefits, visit: Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
Age UK
Age UK has produced a useful factsheet about advance decisions, advance statements and living wills.
Find out more about living wills (advance decisions)
Page last updated: 18 January 2024
