he Advance Health Directive form suggests that you review your Advance Health Directive every two years, however there is no legislative requirement in Queensland for the review of an Advance Health Directive, within any period of time, for it to remain legal, valid and binding.
The recommendation for regular review is to ensure that your Advance Health Directive is current with your current circumstances and your current wishes.
The more time lapses between the making of the Advance Health Directive and the time it is used to assist in any form of decision making the more questionable the directive becomes to health care providers.
This may be further influenced by the occurrence of major changes to a persons health.
So what do I do to keep the directive current and beyond question?
Review your current Advance Health Directive by completing Section 11 of the Advance Health Directive form on the last page every two to three years.
If your wishes did not change all you have to do is sign section 11 and insert the current date.
If your wishes changed from the time when you initially made the directive, then you need to print the form again and complete it with your doctor and your lawyer or JP.
You can print the blank form from this Queensland Government website link: https://publications.qld.gov.au/dataset/power-of-attorney-and-advance-health-directive/resource/6a3af073-cdba-4b82-8de7-eabe65950c24
At Baldwins Lawyers we regularly remind our clients to come in and review their Advance Health Directives to ensure they are up to date with our clients current circumstances.
