According to the Times, the state has recently introduced a new law that gives patients the right to refuse treatment, even if they lose consciousness or forget who they are, including dementia patients.
The bill came into force this week. This means that family members are no longer able to force treatment against the patient`s will, something like this has happened before.
The bill aims to give people more control over what happens to them when they are sick.
The introduction of < Medical Treatment Planning and Decisions Act 2016 > means that dementia patients also have the right to decide their own treatment.
For example, if you are no longer able to swallow, would you like food to be fed directly into your stomach? If you have pneumonia, do you want rough treatment, or do you want the disease to develop naturally?
People can leave a certain message to show their will under certain circumstances. For example, if a young man has a severe disability, he can make it clear that he is willing to receive treatment.
Most importantly, the new bill makes it clear that family members should not go against the patient`s willingness to make treatment decisions.
Martin Foley, executive director of health, said anyone with the ability to make decisions could give legal guidance in advance, requiring the patient to be accompanied by two people, including a doctor.
The person who entices others to give guidance may face five years in prison.
The new bill also refers to values guidance, which allows people to state the most important things in their statements, including their religious beliefs.
"some people might say,`as long as I can eat ice cream and watch TV, you can do whatever you want,`" said Odette Waanders, the chief executive of the Virginia deathbed Care Group.
Although the state euthanasia legalization bill will come into effect next year, the guidelines mentioned above do not express a desire for lethal drugs.
Nor can patients ask for organ donation. DonateLife Victoria said people could register with Australian Organ Donor Register and talk to their families about the wish.
