Overview
Advance care planning is a way to prepare for future healthcare decisions in case you become too unwell or unable to communicate. It often includes conversations with loved ones and healthcare professionals about your goals, values, beliefs, and preferences. Some people also complete legal or medical documents that record these wishes.
Who Is Affected
Advance care planning can help any adult, including healthy younger adults, people with chronic conditions, and older adults. It may be especially important for people living with serious illness, memory problems, frailty, or anyone facing major surgery. Families and caregivers are also affected because they may be asked to help make decisions during a crisis.
Prevention
Advance care planning does not prevent illness, but it can reduce confusion and conflict if urgent decisions are needed. Planning ahead may help ensure that care matches your values and cultural, spiritual, or personal preferences. It can also lessen the burden on family members who might otherwise have to guess what you would want.
Diagnosis and Tests
There is no test that diagnoses a need for advance care planning. Instead, healthcare professionals may raise the topic during routine care, after a new diagnosis, during hospital stays, or when health status changes. They may ask about your understanding of your health, your goals, and who you trust to speak for you if needed.
Treatment Categories
Advance care planning is not a medical treatment, but it can include choices about future treatment categories. These may include preferences about hospital care, resuscitation, life-support treatments, comfort-focused care, and who should make decisions on your behalf. The exact options and forms depend on local laws and healthcare systems.
Living With It
Advance care planning is an ongoing process rather than a one-time form. It can help to share copies of important documents with your chosen decision-maker, family members, and healthcare team, and to keep them in an easy-to-find place. Review your wishes after major life events, changes in health, or changes in relationships.
When to Seek Medical Care
Ask a healthcare professional about advance care planning during routine visits, after receiving a serious diagnosis, before surgery, or if you are caring for someone with declining health or memory loss. Seek legal or official guidance in your area if you want to complete formal documents. If you are unsure whether a document from another country or region is valid, ask your local health service or legal authority.
Questions to Ask a Healthcare Professional
You may want to ask: What decisions might need to be made if I become seriously ill? What forms are recognized where I live? How do I choose and legally name someone to speak for me? How often should I review my plan, and where should copies be stored?