Think
Advance Care Planning is a process of thinking about and sharing your wishes for future medical care. It can help you tell others what would be important to you if you were too sick to communicate.
Start Here
Getting started with planning for future medical decisions can be the hardest step to overcome. The good news is that you don’t have to have all the answers to begin, nor do you have to plan for every possibility! Thinking through a few questions and scenarios will help you convey to your loved ones what they’ll need to know if they ever need to speak on your behalf. Thinking about the care or interventions you DON’T want can a simple place to begin.
- Think about past experiences you or a loved one has had with medical care. What did you like? What did you not like?
- What does a good day include?
- Is it more important to you to have more days or more life in your days?
- What is your current health status? Are there aspects of your health or prognosis that will influence what type of care you would or would not want?
Some people know what they want or feel confident considering these options on their own. Here are some guides that can help you consider the choices that may arise during a medical crisis.
The most important decision you will make is WHO will speak for you if you aren’t able to communicate.
Many think this person has to be a spouse or oldest child; this doesn’t have to be the case. Instead, think about who could best affirm and represent your care decisions if you weren’t able to do so. Whoever you choose, make sure they know what you want them to communicate.
If you don’t have anyone you trust to make these decisions for you, that’s ok. You can still share your wishes with your care providers through a document called an Advance Medical Directive. Contact us to meet free of charge with a Facilitator who can help you complete an Advance Medical Directive.
Connect With Us
Honoring Choices-trained facilitators are able to help you think through what’s important to you. Connect with us to set up a time to meet one-on-one with an advance care planning specialist, at no charge to you.
