What is advance care planning?

Advance care planning allows you to have a voice in YOUR own medical care.

In the PREPARE program, we call advance care planning “medical planning."

Some ways to have a voice in your health care are to:

• Name a trusted person to make medical decisions for you in case of an emergency.

• Tell this trusted person and your doctors what is most important to you in your life and for your healthcare.

• Record your trusted person and your medical wishes in an advance directive form.

The PREPARE for THEIR Care program supports people as they help other people with their medical planning and medical decisions.

To learn more, please view the video called “About Medical Planning” on the PREPARE for THEIR Care homepage.

Is advance care planning right for someone who is not ready to think about end-of-life care?

Yes, advance care planning is for people at any age or stage of health. It is not just about medical care at the end of life. It is about taking time now to think about what is most important to them in their life and their medical care both now and in the future.

Doesn’t health insurance determine what care you get. Will ACP planning even help?

Advance care planning will not fix all the problems in the health care system. However, the best way to get the care you want is by deciding what matters most to you and discussing this with your friends, family, and medical providers. This will also prepare your family and friends in case they need to advocate for you. Having an advance directive form may also be important to make sure your wishes are in your medical record so that medical providers know your wishes.

Can I change my mind about my medical wishes?

You can always change your mind about your medical wishes at any time. This is your choice. If you create a PREPARE for YOUR Care account, the website will save your answers and will make it easy for you to change and update your wishes over time. If you do not create an account, you may need to start the PREPARE for YOUR Care questions over from scratch.

What do I do if I change my mind about my medical wishes?

If you change your mind about your wishes, and you have completed a PREPARE advance directive, update this form by filling out a new form or log into PREPARE and update your advance directive form.

Give the new form to your medical decision maker and medical providers. Destroy old forms.

What is the difference between an advance directive, living will, or POLST form?

To learn more about the different types of forms, watch the video called “About Advance Directive Forms” on the PREPARE for THEIR Care homepage. This video goes over all the different types of forms and how they are different.