Advance care planning is thinking about, talking about, and documenting the health and personal care you want now and in the future.
When to do advance care planning
Advance care planning is important for every adult at any stage of life. It is best done when you are healthy, before there is an urgent need for it. Milestone moments are an especially good time to start advance care planning.
Think about starting advance care planning when:
- You turn 18
- You get or renew your driver’s licence
- You become a parent or guardian
- Your relationship status changes
- Someone dies
- You retire, change jobs or have a financial change
- Your health changes
- You become a caregiver
Why advance care planning is important
If you get sick or injured and cannot speak for yourself, advance care planning prepares you and others to make important decisions about your care. Thinking about what matters to you in advance can make a difficult time easier for you and the people close to you.
How to do advance care planning
There are five steps that guide you through the process:
- Think about your values and goals. What makes life meaningful to you? If you were to get very sick, what would matter most to you? Use the My Wishes Alberta workbook to help you identify what is most important to you in your life, health and personal care.
- Learn about your own health. To make the best plan for you, talk to your health care provider(s) about your health. This may include asking questions about your diagnosis, symptoms, prognosis and treatment options. The Health Quality Council of Alberta has tips to help with these conversations.
- Choose someone to make health and personal decisions for you. This person is called your agent and can make decisions for you if you are too sick or injured to make them yourself. The Centre for Public Legal Education of Alberta’s guide can help you understand what an agent is and their responsibilities so that you can choose the best person to make decisions for you.
- Communicate your wishes to the people you trust and your healthcare team. Talk to your agent and other people close to you, as well as your health care provider(s), about what’s important to you in life and in your care. The My Wishes Alberta workbook has prompts to help you start the conversation.
- Document your wishes in a personal directive. A personal directive is a legal document that names someone to make personal decisions on your behalf if you become unable to do so. Visit the Government of Alberta’s Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee to learn more about personal directives and how to create one.
Keep advance care planning documents in a Green Sleeve
A Green Sleeve is a green plastic folder for storing advance care planning documents. It provides easy and immediate access for you, your family and your health care provider(s) to printed copies of your important health care documents.
These may include:
- Personal directive – A Green Sleeve comes with a blank personal directive form. If you already have your own personal directive, take out the blank form and replace it with yours.
- Goals of Care Designation (GCD) order – A medical order written by your doctor or nurse practitioner that provides instructions to your health care team about how you wish to be cared for if you are unable to tell them yourself. It specifies the type of care that best aligns with your wishes, values and medical situation.
- Tracking Record – A document that your health care providers use to record the conversations that you have about advance care planning.
Everyone should have a personal directive. If something happens and you are unable to make your own decisions, and you do not have a personal directive, you do not get to choose who makes decisions for you. A healthcare provider may pick your nearest relative to make decisions for you. A family member or friend may have to go to court to become your guardian so they can make your personal decisions – this takes time and money.
Depending on your health, you may also have a Goals of Care Designation order and Tracking Record. Visit MyHealth Alberta for more information on Green Sleeves, Goals of Care Designation orders and Tracking Records.
The Green Sleeve should always be kept on or near your refrigerator, as that is where healthcare providers are trained to look for it in an emergency. Don’t assume your healthcare provider already knows your instructions or has access to these documents electronically. Take your Green Sleeve with you when you go to any medical appointments and make sure that it comes home with you.
Review and update your documents following important life events or as your goals, values and wishes evolve. Share these updates with the people you trust and your healthcare providers so that everyone knows how you want to be cared for.
More resources
Conversations Matter: A guidebook developed by Alberta Health Services that outlines the five steps of advance care planning. Available in multiple languages.
ACP Across Canada: An interactive webpage by Advance Care Planning Canada to access province- or territory-specific advance care planning news, resources and more.
Living Well, Planning Well: An Advance Care Planning Resource for Accessing Your Rights: This toolkit developed by Advance Care Planning Canada provides an overview of health care consent, capacity, advance care planning and substitute decision-making across Canada.
Planning for My Care: A workbook created by Canadian Virtual Hospice that focuses on care conversations for 2SLGBTQ+ people. It is intended to help you reflect on and start conversations about your health care.
CPR Decision Aid Guidebook: A booklet by Advance Care Planning Canada that provides direction on how to share your wishes about CPR and other life prolonging treatments.
Making a Personal Directive: A booklet by the Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta on how to complete a personal directive.
Making a Personal Directive Checklist: A checklist by the Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta with things to think about before making a personal directive.