Advance Care Planning: A Communitarian Approach?

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Bioethics
• Health Law

Background:

• Advance care planning (ACP) in Singapore has evolved towards a less-formal, communications-based model.
• The Living Matters program exemplifies a communitarian approach to ACP, integrating local cultural values.
• Existing legal frameworks, like the Mental Capacity Act, face challenges adapting to these evolving ACP models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the evolution of advance care planning (ACP) in Singapore.
• To analyze the communitarian Living Matters program and its cultural/community reception.
• To identify legal challenges and propose improvements to Singapore's proxy decision-making framework for ACP.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative analysis of the Living Matters program's implementation.
• Examination of cultural and community responses to the communitarian ACP model.
• Review of the Mental Capacity Act (Singapore) and its implications for ACP.

Main Results:

• The Living Matters program demonstrates a successful communitarian approach to ACP in Singapore.
• Local cultural and community responses indicate a need for flexible ACP processes.
• The current legal framework presents challenges to implementing flexible ACP outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Advance care planning in Singapore is shifting towards more flexible, communitarian models.
• The Mental Capacity Act requires amendments to better support proxy decision-making and ACP implementation.
• Enhanced regulatory support is needed to effectively implement diverse ACP outcomes.