What is Advance Care Planning?
Have you ever thought about what kind of medical treatment you would want if you were to become seriously ill? Although it can be difficult to think about, taking the time to reflect on the wishes you have for future care will ensure that your medical treatment aligns with your goals, values and beliefs.
That’s what advance care planning (ACP) is all about. It’s the process of thinking about, communicating and writing down your wishes or instructions about future health care treatment. This ensures that the people closest to you know what kind of health and personal care you would or wouldn’t want if you were unable to make these decisions for yourself.
There are two important components to advance care planning: 1) thinking about what your wishes are and 2) communicating those to someone you trust.
Talking about death, ‘what ifs’ and future goals of care is not always easy. But having these conversations and making a plan are ways to give your loved ones the confidence to make decisions during a difficult time. You may never need your advance care plan – but if you do, you’ll be glad that you took important steps to make sure that your voice is heard when you cannot speak for yourself.
If you are interested in learning more about advance care planning before starting to work on your care plan, click here. Advance Care Planning Ontario (ACPO) is also a helpful resource that was developed to guide individuals through the advance care planning process. ACPO also developed a mobile app that provides information and tools to help individuals and families have important conversations about future health care decisions.
Making an Advance Care Plan
Marathon Family Health Team has developed the My Advance Care Plan document to help guide you through the process of writing down your goals of care (see below to download and print a copy).
You may not be familiar with some of the terminology that is used in the My Advance Care Plan document. Click here for a list of definitions. For instructions on what to do with the form once it’s complete, take a look at this reference guide.
If you require support to complete your advance care plan, please contact us by calling 807-229-3243 or emailing [email protected].
