Advance Care Planning

Advance care planning is a valuable tool for helping an individual reflect upon his or her values and wishes regarding end-of-life care before a crisis event occurs and for assuring that those wishes are honored by health care providers.

One of the challenges in implementing an effective advance care planning program is overcoming individual, family, and health provider reluctance to confront the reality of death and loss.  Equally important, though, is the failure of health organizations to put in place an effective mechanism for retrieving existing advance directives when they are needed.

This section features links to forms and useful general information on advance care planning from the American Bar Association, the American Hospital Association, and more. 

For Web sites focusing on implementing advance care planning systems for health organizations, see The Choices Bank and Respecting Choices.

POLST state programs, information for patients and families

POLST Paradigm Forms

National Healthcare Decisions Day

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Washington State Catholic Conference In God's Time Video

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Supportive Care Coalition Resources for Advance Care Planning:

Person to Person:  Discovering Patient Wishes in Planning for End of Life - Tool for Physicians

Person to Person:  Making Connections that Heal