Dementia - Resources - The Advance Project

Dementia Specific Resources

The Advance Project (Dementia) Guide Clinician resource

The Advance Project (Dementia) Guide (211kb pdf) is a two-page guide that outlines the steps involved and resources that can be used to initiate ACP and palliative care for people living with different stages of dementia.

Tools for initiating advance care planning with people living with early or moderate dementia

The Advance Care Planning Screening Interview - Own or Supported Approach version (Fillable 321kb pdf) Clinician resource
The Advance Care Planning Screening Interview (Own or Supported Approach version) is a structured interview that can be used by nurses, allied health staff and other clinicians to introduce advance care planning (ACP) with a person who may need support to take part in the ACP discussion due to early or moderate dementia.
Quick guide for introducing advance care planning - Own or Supported Approach version (184kb pdf) Clinician resource
This guide includes suggested phrases to introduce the topic of advance care planning (ACP) to a person who may need support to take part in the ACP discussion due to early or moderate dementia, questions to ask during the initial conversation, and prompts for the nurse or other clinician to consider. Unlike the Advance Care Planning Screening Interview tool, it does not provide spaces for recording the person’s responses to the screening questions.
The Advance Project Planning Together Guide (Fillable 1.4MB pdf) Resource for people living with dementia Resource for people living with dementia
This guide is designed to help a person living with early or moderate dementia to think about their own values and preferences for future care, and to facilitate further conversations about this with their family and/or health and aged care team.
Who will speak for you if you can't speak for yourself? (304kb pdf) Resource for people living with early dementia
This is an information booklet to assist a person with choosing a substitute decision-maker for health care decisions.

Tools for initiating advance care planning with families of people living with advanced dementia

The Advance Care Planning Screening Interview – Substituted Approach version (Fillable 280kb pdf) Clinician resource
The Advance Care Planning Screening Interview (Substituted Approach version) is a structured interview that can be used by nurses, allied health staff and other clinicians to introduce advance care planning (ACP) to a family member or substitute decision-maker of a person who does not have capacity to make healthcare decisions (e.g. due to advanced dementia).
Quick guide for introducing advance care planning – Substituted Approach version (184kb pdf) Clinician resource
This guide includes suggested phrases to introduce the topic of advance care planning (ACP) to a family member or substitute decision-maker of a person who does not have capacity to make healthcare decisions (e.g. due to advanced dementia), questions to ask during the initial conversation, and prompts for the nurse or other clinician to consider. Unlike the Advance Care Planning Screening Interview tool, it does not provide spaces for recording the person’s responses to the screening questions.
The Advance Project Planning For Guide (Fillable 1MB pdf) Resource for families of a person who no longer has capacity to make health care decisions
This guide is for family members and substitute decision-makers (SDMs) of a person who is no longer able to make their own health decisions or who needs a lot of support to make these decisions. This guide will help the family member/SDM reflect on the values, preferences and beliefs of the person they are advocating for, that may influence decisions about the person’s health and personal care. It also facilitates further conversations about this with the health and aged care team.

Tools for assessing palliative care needs of people living with early or moderate dementia

The SPICTTM (Supportive and Palliative Care Indicators Tool) (184kb pdf) Clinician resource
This can be used to identify people who might be at risk of deteriorating and dying from one or more advanced progressive conditions.
The SPICT-4ALL^TM (660kb pdf) Resource for careworkers and support staff
The SPICT-4ALL^TM uses less medical language than the SPICT^TM and therefore might be useful for careworkers and support staff in residential aged care and community/home care settings to get an idea of the types of residents and clients who might be suitable for an assessment of their palliative and supportive care needs.
The Advance Project Referral Triage Tool – Palliative Care in primary and home care (Fillable 214kb pdf) Clinician Resource
This tool identifies additional support that might be required by a patient/client in primary and home care settings, and/or by their family/carers, to meet their palliative and supportive care needs. This includes whether the patient/client may benefit from early referral to a specialist palliative care service.
The Advance Project Referral Triage Tool – Palliative Care in residential aged care (Fillable 215kb pdf) Clinician Resource
This tool identifies additional support that might be required by a resident in aged care settings, and/or by their family, to meet their palliative and supportive care needs. This includes whether the resident may benefit from early referral to a specialist palliative care service.

Communication tips for introducing referral to specialist palliative care services (167kb pdf) Clinician Resource
This tool provides tips for how to discuss the need for referral to specialist palliative care services to clients/patients/residents and/or their family/carers/substitute decision-maker.

Tools for assessing palliative care needs of people living with advanced dementia

Distress Observation Tool (DOT) – daily version (Fillable 826kb pdf) Resource for careworkers and support staff, families and clinicians
This DOT tool (daily version) can be used by careworkers, other aged care staff and family members as an aid to identify and record any distress they have observed in a person living with advanced dementia in residential aged care settings and communicate these observations to others involved in the person’s care.
Distress Observation Tool (DOT) – weekly version (Fillable 805kb pdf) Resource for careworkers and support staff, families and clinicians
This DOT tool (weekly version) can be used by careworkers, other aged care staff and family members as an aid to identify and record any distress they have observed in a person living with advanced dementia in home care settings and communicate these observations to others involved in the person’s care.
Distress Observation Tool (DOT) – flexible frequency version (Fillable 794kb pdf) Resource for careworkers and support staff, families and clinicians
This DOT tool (flexible frequency version) can be used by careworkers, other aged care staff and family members as an aid to identify and record any distress they have observed in a person living with advanced dementia at any frequency and communicate these observations to others involved in the person’s care.
The Advance Project Referral Triage Tool – Palliative Care in primary and home care (Fillable 214kb pdf) Clinician Resource
This tool identifies additional support that might be required by a patient/client in primary and home care settings, and/or by their family/carers, to meet their palliative and supportive care needs. This includes whether the patient/client may benefit from early referral to a specialist palliative care service.
The Advance Project Referral Triage Tool – Palliative Care in residential aged care (Fillable 215kb pdf) Clinician Resource
This tool identifies additional support that might be required by a resident in aged care settings, and/or by their family, to meet their palliative and supportive care needs. This includes whether the resident may benefit from early referral to a specialist palliative care service.

Communication tips for introducing referral to specialist palliative care services (167kb pdf) Clinician Resource
This tool provides tips for how to discuss the need for referral to specialist palliative care services to clients/patients/residents and/or their family/carers/substitute decision-maker.

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We would greatly appreciate your feedback about the Advance Project - Dementia Resources. Your input will be very helpful to inform the evaluation of the Advance Project - Dementia and ongoing quality improvement of these resources for the benefit of people living with dementia, their families and aged and primary care staff. Provide feedback

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Page updated 15 January 2026