Advance care planning is the process of thinking about and communicating your wishes, values and beliefs. It includes considering what is important and makes your life meaningful, and taking steps to ensure that your wishes guide your treatment and care in the event that you become incapable and/or unable to communicate these preferences in the future.
During this process a capable person may express:
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values and preferences that should guide future decisions about their care in the event they are incapable of making treatment decisions.
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Who they trust to act on their expressed wishes and make health care decisions in their best interests if they are not capable. These persons are indicated in a Power of Attorney for Personal Care (POA) and become the patient's Substitute Decision-Maker.
Advance care planning includes conversations that you have with close family and friends about your values and beliefs as well as the medical procedures that you want and do not want. It is also about the experiences and people that you want around you when you receive care.
