Start the New Year with a Resolution that Lasts a Lifetime!

Start the New Year with a Resolution that Lasts a Lifetime.  Join our FREE Future Matters Workshop about Advance Care Plans  - Thursday 21st January, 11.30am - 12.45pm

Start the New Year with a Resolution that Lasts a Lifetime. Join our FREE Future Matters Workshop about Advance Care Plans - Thursday 21st January, 11.30am - 12.45pm

Do you have a New Year's Resolution to put in place a will? In the same way as it's good practice to have a will to protect our family and loved ones, we also need to document our future health care wishes. We can do this in an Advance Care Plan.

Future Matters, the free service run by Age UK Islington in partnership with Gentle Dusk is here to help you put one in place, with it's Advance Care Plan workshop, taking place on 21st January at 11.30am.

What is an Advance Care Plan?

Advance care planning is the process of documenting your future health care wishes. Future Matters helps you to do this using Coordinate My Care, an online service from the NHS which records your wishes and treatment needs, and communicates them to urgent care services in the event of an emergency. 

No one ever plans to have a health emergency, but documenting your personal health care and treatment wishes in advance can make all the difference in a difficult situation. You may ask yourself what would happen if you become seriously ill or disabled. Would your partner, family or friends know about the kind of care you would like to receive? Would they know if you wanted to be resuscitated or if you wanted to refuse any kinds of treatment?

“Recording your health and personal wishes through the NHS Coordinate My Care service can be crucial in guiding medical decisions and ensuring the best treatment for you,” explains Dr Rosanna Lombardo, GP at Ritchie Street Group Practice in Islington.

Making an advance care plan is an empowering new year’s resolution, helping to take some control of the future, particularly at this worrying time for all of us during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Planning for the future is always timely – but for many people in the context of COVID-19, making our wishes known feels more important than ever before. It can also be a surprisingly positive experience, says Joanie Speers, a Future Matters volunteer.

“I think what I enjoy most is making what I do fun, which perhaps sounds absurd. After working with someone for several hour-long sessions to make an advance care plan, we can celebrate and jump up and down, because that person has completed something that's actually very important. They now know their GP and family will respect their wishes.”

How can I get further support following the workshop?

Future Matters is a free, community-based service for Islington residents planning their future. It offers one-to-one support for making an advance care plan using the NHS Coordinate My Care service, so that your personal, health care and treatment wishes are known. It can also help with setting up a Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA), a simple way of ensuring control over your health and financial decisions in future.

Who is eligible to attend the workshop?

Future Matters is available to all Islington residents or those with an Islington GP; there are no age, health or financial criteria. Planning ahead can help us and our loved ones feel less anxious and more in control at every stage. 

Please contact Age UK Islington Activities Co-ordinator, Carmen Alcovdes, to book your free place on the workshop.  If you've any questions about the event, please contact Judith King, Future Matters Co-ordinator (Judith works on Tuesdays & Thursdays).