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Advance Care Planning

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What is Advance Care Planning?

Advance Care Planning is a process that involves discussing and documenting an individual’s preferences and wishes for their future medical care. The goal of advance care planning is to ensure that a person’s healthcare decisions align with their values, beliefs, and goals, especially in the event that they become unable to communicate or make decisions for themselves.

Key components of advance care planning include:

  1. Communication: Open and honest discussions between individuals, their loved ones, and healthcare providers to explore values, beliefs, and preferences regarding medical treatment and end-of-life care.
  2. Documentation: Recording and formalizing preferences in legal documents, such as health care directives or living wills. These documents may specify the types of medical treatments a person would like to receive or refuse under certain circumstances.
  3. Appointing a Healthcare Proxy or Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare: Designating a trusted person to make medical decisions on behalf of the individual if they are unable to do so themselves.
  4. Regular Review: Revisiting and updating the advance care plan as circumstances, values, or health conditions change.

Advance Care Planning is not just for individuals facing serious illness; it is relevant for people of all ages and health statuses. It provides an opportunity to express personal values, discuss potential care scenarios, and make informed decisions about healthcare preferences. It can help ensure that medical care aligns with an individual’s wishes and values, promoting dignity and quality of life, especially during challenging times.

What are Advance Directives?

You can make your healthcare choices clear by creating advance directives. These legal documents provide instructions for your medical choices but only go into effect if you are unable to communicate to your healthcare team due to severe illness or injury. The two most common advance directives are:

  • HEALTH CARE DIRECTIVE: This document, also known as a “Living Will” helps you tell doctors how you would like to be treated if you can’t communicate those decisions during treatment. You can outline which medical treatments or type of care you prefer, what you’d like to avoid, and the conditions under which your choices would apply.
  • DURABLE POWER OF ATTORNEY FOR HEALTH CARE: This document names the person who will serve as your health care proxy – someone who can make health care decisions on your behalf if you are unable to communicate them directly. This person can be appointed in addition to or in place of a living will and should be familiar with your wishes and values.

The National Institute on Aging, one of the 27 Institutes and Centers of the National Institutes of Health, provides a variety of excellent Advance Care Planning links and resources, including a comprehensive downloadable guide with detailed information and planning worksheets.

LEARN MORE

What happens without an Advance Directive?

Without an advance directive, if you’re unable to make decisions on your own, state law determines who may make medical decisions on your behalf. The order in Washington state is shown below.

It’s impossible to predict when and if you’ll ever need these documents, and most people either think they are too young or too healthy or just find it too difficult to think about the subject. Putting a plan in place now ensures you maintain control over your decisions and can provide your loved ones with peace of mind if the situation ever arises.

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