Home Instead  has established a partnership with the Centre for Gerontology and Rehabilitation at University College Cork. This partnership will see a joint research project rolled out to educate home users about the Advance Care Directive and help older people discuss with their families, GP and health care provider their healthcare wishes if they have the capacity to make health and personal care decision.

Teaming up with the Centre for Gerontology and Rehabilitation and helping home care users in Ireland plan for their future ahead of a crisis and when he or she is not at their most vulnerable is an important intervention that can truly make a positive difference in a person’s life. The collaboration with UCC will allow this programme to be available to all 4,500 Home Instead clients. 

Through age, illness or accident, people can lose their capacity to understand the nature and consequences of proposed medical. Health care decisions then fall to families, friends and physicians who may not be aware of your wishes. The ‘Let Me Decide’ Advance Care Directive programme lets individuals plan their own future healthcare in advance. It makes sure individual wishes will be known, should there come a time when an individual can no longer understand their options or communicate their choices to others.  

Developed by Professor Willie Molloy over many years of research and consultation, the 'Let Me Decide' advance care directive: 

• Gives each individual the opportunity to choose different levels of treatment according to his or her own wishes.
• Helps relieve family and friends of responsibility for decisions in times of crisis.
• Guides health care practitioners in making vital decisions when family members are unavailable.
• Has received enthusiastic support from a wide range of individuals and groups, including doctors, patients, nurses, solicitors, clergy, and advocates for the elderly and the disabled.

Survey after survey shows that older people want to put their affairs in order and keep control over their health as long as possible. This ensures that their families are free from burdensome bureaucracy or decision making, if they suffer ill health and are not in a position to make decisions themselves.

This programme assists older adults discuss and plan with their families their wishes in the event they become critically ill. It enables older adults to take control and record their wishes regarding health and personal care for a future time, in the event that they are unable to speak for themselves.