Advance care planning
When you become ill, you have the right to say yes or no to treatment options. But what if you became unable to decide for yourself? Who would speak for you? And would they know what you want and don't want? Complete your advance directive now to make sure your wishes are known.
What is advance care planning?
Advance care planning is an ongoing process to help you plan for your future. It’s a health care conversation you’ll continue having throughout your life to determine your priorities, needs and goals when it comes to care.
Advance care planning helps you:
- Think about your values and goals when it comes to health and health care
- Reflect on health care choices you may have to make in the future
- Choose a person to make choices for you if you can’t make them yourself
- Make a written plan for the future
While advance care planning is a personal process, it’s important to talk to your loved ones about your wishes. You can also get help from an advance care planning professional, who can ask the right questions and help you think about all your options.
To speak with someone about advance care planning, please contact your provider’s office.
What is an advance directive?
An advance directive is a written document used to record your wishes and preferences when it comes to your health care. It lets you name a person who can make decisions for you if you can’t make them yourself. This person is called a Health Care Agent or medical Power of Attorney. You can share your advance directive document with your family and your health care provider so everyone is clear about your wishes.
Wisconsin Medical Society
The Wisconsin Medical Society offers a free advance directive document that you can use to write down your values and preferences when it comes to your health care.
By completing this document, you will:
- Choose someone to act as your Health Care Agent
- State your preferences for things like nursing home care, feeding tube removal and life-prolonging treatments
- State your preferences when it comes to pain management
- Clarify your wishes when it comes to religion and spirituality
- Make your wishes known about things like autopsy and organ donation
Before completing this document, it may be helpful to fill out the Advance Care Planning Guide. This guide is a worksheet that will help you think about various health care decisions you may need to make in the future. The questions you answer on this worksheet will inform how you fill out your advance directive.
Download the Advance Care Planning Guide [fillable PDF]
Additional languages available – contact us
Download the Advance Directive Document [PDF] Additional languages available here
Making Choices Michigan®
Use this document if you live in Michigan. You can download a free copy using the link below.
Making Choices Michigan® is a medical Power of Attorney document that names a person who can make decisions for you if you cannot. This person is chosen by you, and named in the document to make certain that your wishes are followed if you’re suddenly facing hospice care, palliative care or a serious health issue.
This living will form is easy to understand and comes in English and Spanish. Making Choices Michigan® gives you the opportunity to choose your wishes and allows you to cross out those you do not want by giving clear instructions to follow.
Advance directive documents
- Wisconsin Medical Society Advance Directive (English) [PDF]
- Wisconsin Medical Society Advance Directive (English - Large Print) [PDF]
- Wisconsin Medical Society Advance Directive (Spanish) [PDF]
For all other languages please contact us at:
AAH-AdvanceCarePlanningSharedDecisionMaking@aah.org.
Additional resources
- Advance Care Planning Information Card (English [PDF] & Spanish [PDF]) Additional languages available – contact us
- Advance Care Planning Guide – English [fillable PDF] & Spanish [PDF]
- Advance Care Planning Information Booklet – English [PDF]
- Information card for Health Care Agents (English [PDF] & Spanish [PDF]) Additional languages available – contact us
For more information about advance care planning and advance directives, please contact your provider’s office.
Start planning today
Find out how to choose a Health Care Agent to help with your advance care planning, and learn which topics you should discuss with them. Our comprehensive checklist can help get the conversation started, guide you through topics that may be uncomfortable to talk about, and help you make the right end-of-life decisions for you and your family. You can also get common questions answered using our Frequently Asked Questions.