Let’s talk about...organ and tissue donation
Would you know what to say if you were asked "Did they want to be an organ and tissue donor?"
More Australians are discussing organ and tissue donation with their family and 72 per cent believe their family knows their donation wishes. At the same time, only 57 per cent of Australians know the donation wishes of their loved ones.
During DonateLife Week, Sunday 19 – Sunday 26 February 2012, all Australians are encouraged to ask and know the organ and tissue donation wishes of family members and register their donation decision on the Australian Organ Donor Register (Donor Register).
Registering your donation decision on the Donor Register is easy. You can visit your local Department of Human Services Service Centre
and pick up a brochure, or register online. Once you have registered your decision, let your loved ones know your wishes.
In Australia, the family will always be asked to confirm the donation wishes of the deceased. Families that have discussed and know each other's donation wishes are more likely to uphold those wishes.
Any day this week is a good day to have the conversation with your family and close friends. It's a conversation that will help you be prepared, should you ever be asked to confirm a loved one's donation wishes. It will also help your family be prepared should they ever be asked to confirm your wishes. It's a conversation that could one day save lives.
DonateLife Week is Australia's national awareness week to promote organ and tissue donation. It is led by the Organ and Tissue Authority as part of the national DonateLife campaign and supported by community events and activities across Australia.
The Donor Register is administered by the Department of Human Services and is the only national register for organ and/or tissue donation for transplantation. The Donor Register keeps a record of your donation decision and of the organs and tissue you agree to donate. The Donor Register ensures your donation decision can be verified 24 hours a day, seven days a week by authorised medical personnel, anywhere in Australia.
For more information on DonateLife Week and organ and tissue donation go to donatelife.gov.au or donorregister.gov.au
Last updated: 6 February, 2012