Advance Care Planning

Advance Care Planning

Advance care planning is making decisions about the end-of-life care you want to receive before events make this impossible. Here are some things that are important to let your family and doctors know: 

• Who you want to make healthcare decisions for you when you can't make them.
• The kind of medical treatment you want or don't want.
• How comfortable you want to be.
• How you want people to treat you.
• What you want your loved ones to know.

Advance Directives

”Advance directive” describes two types of legal documents that enable you to plan for and communicate your end-of-life wishes in the event that you are unable to communicate: a Medical Power of Attorney and a Living Will.

• Medical Power of Attorney allows you to appoint a person you trust as your healthcare agent (or surrogate decision maker), who is authorized to make medical decisions on your behalf if you are unable to speak for yourself.

• Living Will allows you to document your wishes concerning medical treatments that you would or would not want if facing a serious or life-limiting illness.