As the country’s largest annual initiative to raise awareness about planning for future health care, National Advance Care Planning Week (16-22 March 2026) is an important reminder of the vital work happening right here within Metro South Health.
Our own advance care planning programs continue to lead nationally through the work of Advance Care Planning Australia (ACPA), administered by Metro South Health as part of the Brisbane South Palliative Care Collaborative.
Dr Catherine Joyce, National Manager for ACPA, says advance care planning is something every Australian should consider.
“Advance care planning involves planning for future health care. If you become seriously unwell and unable to communicate or make decisions about your own health care, who do you want to make them for you? What would you want them to do?”
This message resonates deeply with Queenslanders like Marie Morrison, who generously shared her personal experience to help others understand why planning ahead matters.
Marie has lived in Brisbane’s southeast for all of her 86 years and has seen the world change in countless ways. But one belief has remained strong: future health care should never be left to chance.
Her passion for advance care planning comes from a difficult time in her own family.
“My parents never talked about what they wanted at the end of their lives,” she recalls.
“When we raised the subject, it was pushed aside… and when the time came, it was so hard to make the decisions that had to be made.”
Marie and her siblings were left to make decisions without guidance, each with different views.
“It made the grieving process harder for everyone,” she says.
That experience stayed with her.
“If you don’t plan, it leaves a huge burden on your family.”
National Advance Care Planning Week is a chance to remind ourselves that planning ahead brings comfort, clarity, and dignity to every one.
For more information, watch Marie’s story or visit the Metro South Health Advance Care Planning Service webpage or the Advance Care Planning Australia website.