What Is Advance Care Planning?
- Advance care planning is the development of guidelines that determine and document a person's goals and wishes for specific treatments, based on medical condition and personal preferences.
- Advance care planning ensures that clinical care is directed by an individual's choices, even if she or he becomes unable to make decisions.
- Advance care planning decreases crisis decision making by anticipating emergencies.
- Advance care planning promotes understanding, reflection, and communication about values and preferences with family and other caregivers.
Why Is It Important?
- Many of the choices about end of life will involve medical treatments.
- People with decisional capacity are allowed to choose representatives to make decisions based upon their preferences and choices.
- Advance planning for medical decisions and funeral arrangements may decrease stress for the survivors.
What Questions are asked in advance care planning?
- What if I am unable to communicate?
- What if I am too sick to eat, except through a feeding tube?
- What if I am unable to breathe on my own for an extended period of time?
- How will my final arrangements be handled?
- What if I don't want life-saving procedures?
- Whom do I want to make decisions for me if I'm seriously ill?
Source: Understanding End of Life Care, NASW © 2004
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