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Advance care planning is a process of thinking and communicating. You make an advance care plan to let others know what is most important to you in life, and the kind of care you would want if something happened to you and you couldn’t communicate or make decisions for yourself later. When you share your advance care plan with your family and friends you help them feel confident that they could make the right decisions for you if they ever had to.
Making an advance care plan involves thinking about what matters most to you, and how this may affect the kind of health care you would want to receive. It is NOT about planning for every single health problem that could happen. Advance care planning is for everyone at every stage of life.
Here are some questions to think about when you are making an advance care plan:
- What makes your life meaningful?
- What do you value most about your health?
- If you were sick, what would be important for others to know?
- When you think about dying, what do you worry about?
Once you have answered these questions, you are well on your way to having an advance care plan! You can find these questions and others in the advance care planning workbook on the "Speak Up" website. You will also want to review your advance care plan regularly to make sure it is still accurate and up-to-date. Remember to share your wishes with your family or friends, and your healthcare team any time they change.
Explore the Speak Up website for more helpful information. Here are a few things to get you started:
- Advance care planning frequently asked questions - this webpage tells you what advance care planning is, who should make an advance care plan, and more
- Conversation starters for advance care planning