Keep Safe.
Be Heard.
You Matter.
Guidelines to increase personal empowerment when in a mental health facility.
We want you to KEEP SAFE and BE HEARD.
You want people to know how to treat you, even if, at a future time, you are unable to tell them yourself.
That's what an Advance Health Directive does.
Welcome.
Here, you'll hear from people who have been treated in mental health units, and how Advance Health Directives have helped them.
You’ll also hear from a mental health nurse and legal solicitor about how Advance Health Directives can help you say what treatment you want and don't want.
Follow all the steps below to get your very own Advanced Health Directive for keeping safe and being heard.
You can also show this site and the videos within to your treatment team, and family and friends, so that they know how to help you.
Video: what is this site all about?
Listen to Dyann’s introduction as to why this website was created and what to expect.
Transcript: Welcome video by Dyann.
Seclusion and Restraint
We believe that being secluded and restrained is harmful to your mental wellbeing and safety.
We want to help you avoid this happening.
Video: Helena’s seclusion
Listen to Helena's account of being secluded against her wishes and what she thinks can help you avoid this happening when hospitalised.
Transcript: You are not alone - personal experience of seclusion by Helena.
What is an Advanced Health Directive?
An Advance Health Directive is like a living will and is a written outline of what the person wants if it comes to a time when they can't say.
In mental health care, Advanced Health Directives are encouraged under the Mental Health Act (2016) as part of a person's rights to the best and safest care possible.
There's a particular form that needs completing. You can download it here.
What you include needs to be a detailed message to health practitioners about what helps you.
When a person has an Advanced Health Directive it helps avoid situations that can be unsafe or unhelpful.
Video: intro to an Advance Health Directive
Listen to Rosiel explain what an Advance Health Directive is, how it has helped her, and how it can help you.
Transcript: Welcome and introduction to advance health directives by Rosiel.
How to make an Advanced Health Directive
You can download an Advanced Health Directive here and print it out, or you can go to a mental health unit and ask for a physical copy of an Advance Health Directive.
Go through it and write down all the things you want and don't want in your treatment.
Include things that you want to happen to you when you are in care, and the things that you don't want to happen to you when in care.
Then get the Advance Health Directive signed by a justice of the peace and a health professional.
Video: how-to guide
Listen to Rosiel explain how to make an Advance Health Directive and what is in hers.
Transcript: How to create and advance health directive by Rosiel.
Steps to making an Advanced Health Directive
An Advanced Health Directive allows you to give directions about the treatment you want, ensuring that your wishes are understood and respected even when in the future you might not be able to verbally or cognitively tell those treating you what you want.
It is a legally binding document.
As you can see, there is quite a bit involved in getting yourself an Advanced Health Directive.
Keep going! We want to encourage you to stay with us as we will guide you in all the steps. It is worth the effort as we will now show.
Video: step by step guide
John is a community legal service solicitor. Listen to him explain the steps to making an Advance Health Directive and its legal importance.
Please note. Further to what John says, in terms of mental health care, there are some circumstances where you may not be free to fully choose treatment (eg if you are subject to the Mental Health Act).
Transcript: A solicitors step by step guide to Advance Health Directives by John.
Ensuring that your Advanced Health Directive is used
Using an Advanced Health Directive is a very important thing to do because you're taking an active role in your own health. An Advanced Health Directive gives professionals a shortcut and removes all the guesswork into knowing what helps you, because it's already written down. It's like a blueprint into what you want and what you need for your treatment.
Once you have an Advance Health Directive you want to ensure that it is used.
Video: how to ensure my AHD is used?
Listen to Rosiel explain how to make sure your Advance Health Directive is used.
Transcript: How can I make sure that my advance health directive is used by Rosiel.
What else helps if you are hospitalised?
Being admitted to a mental health facility is a bit different to a hospital.
It might be a ward in a hospital but it is specifically designed for people needing acute mental health care only.
There are things that you can to do to make your stay in the mental health unit better.
Video: what Jo found helpful
Listen to what Jo found helpful when she was hospitalised in a mental health facility.
Transcript: What helps if you are hospitalised by Jo.
What happens when you go into a mental health unit?
Coming into a mental health unit through the emergency department can be incredibly stressful and at times frightening.
But the nurses will help you settle in.
It can be helpful to know what to expect in advance.
Video: what to expect
Karen-Ann is a mental health nurse. Listen to her explain what can help if you are hospitalised in a mental health facility.
Transcript: What happens when you go into a mental health unit by Karen-Ann.
Tips for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Margaret and Johnathan speak to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who may be concerned about their mental health.
Video: tips to get help
Listen to Margaret’s tips and suggestions for how to make sure you are heard and get the help you need.
Transcript: Tips for how to make sure you are heard and get the help you need.
How to look after yourself in the community
This podcast is a conversation between Margaret, Johnathan and Dyann.
Margaret and Johnathan give some pointers from their community work and personal experiences on how to keep safe and be heard. Some of their messages are: to act for your own best interests before mental health challenges get too big; ask for help; say what you need; stay in control of how you are, and; try not to react.
Podcast: looking after yourself in the community
Listen to Johnathan and Margaret's enormous wisdom and experience in supporting First Nation people.
Transcript: How to look after yourself in the community.
Make your Advance Health Directive NOW
Video: the Advance Health Directive form
Listen to Dyann walk you through the Advance Health Directive form
Transcript: Step by step walkthrough of the Advance Health Directive form by Dyann
The Advanced Health Directive form can look daunting but it isn’t difficult to complete. There are a number of steps to work through but you can do it.
Make your Advance Health Directive now
(written guide)
As an alternative to the video step by step walkthrough above, here’s a written guide to making your own Advanced Health Directive.
Don't let the list of things to do below, put you off.
It is provided to help you or to show you how to get help if you need it.
Read through the guidelines here
See the clean copy of an Advance Health Directive in the Guide here - it follows after the Guide
Get a paper copy of the Advance Health Directive - your local library can help with this, if you only have a phone
Read through the Advance Health Directive to see what is involved. Go to page 8 of the Guide for a step by step assistance, notice the examples provided for each section
Fill out what you can
If you get stuck or aren't sure, contact one of our peer support workers on the Links page
Take the document to your doctor who understands your mental health situation
Even if you don't have a doctor, you will need to approach one as they need to certify that you have capacity to complete this document
Decide on who will be your attorney - this can be a trusted family member, even several people, or a legal advisor
Make sure they agree to do this
Carefully note what is needed for witness section before you complete this
Also be sure to give the Advance Health Directive to the people who are acting as your attorney, your health care provider, etc.
Keep a copy with your personal papers and take it with you if you are hospitalised.
Have you done it? If not - contact us!
If you have completed the Advance Health Directive - pat yourself on the back!
