Advance Care Planning
What Is Advance Care Planning?
Advance care planning (ACP) is a process that supports adults regardless of age or health conditions in understanding and communicating their personal values, life goals and preferences regarding their future medical care. ACP helps ensure that people receive medical care that is consistent with their values, goals and preferences when faced with a life-limiting illness.
Author: Palliative and End of Life Care Team, Alberta Health Services
Make a Plan in 5 Steps Step 1: Think about your values and goals.
Reflect on what’s important to you, such as quality of life, your healthcare experiences, and any religious or spiritual beliefs that influence your decisions.
Step 2: Learn about your health.
Understand your current health and discuss your prognosis and treatment options with your doctor.
Step 3: Choose your agent.
Select someone you trust to make healthcare decisions for you if you’re unable to, and legally appoint them as your agent.
Step 4: Tell others your wishes.
Discuss your healthcare preferences with family, close friends, and your healthcare team, and keep them informed if your wishes change.
Step 5: Write a personal directive.
In Alberta, a personal directive is a legal document that designates your agent and guides healthcare decisions when you can’t decide for yourself. Ensure your directive is shared with your agent and healthcare providers, and review it as your health or wishes change.
For more information about personal directives, contact the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee.
Alberta Health Services has additional resources for healthcare decision making: Guidebook / Conversation Tool Kit / Videos that can be accessed at: www.conversationsmatter.ca
Additional Resources:
Advance Care Planning Resource - Living Well, Planning Well
An Advance Care Planning Resource for Accessing Your Rights
It’s about wishes. It’s about conversations. It’s how we care for each other.
The Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association and the BC Centre for Palliative Care developed this free resource in the fall of 2021. An advisory committee of legal and health professionals, patients, and caregivers supported its development.
Speak Up Public Workbook Living Well, Planning Well Worksheet
What is Palliative Care?
Palliative care is person and family centred care that optimizes quality of life, alleviates pain and reduces symptoms throughout the person’s life limiting illness.
A palliative approach to care can be given alongside any other treatment being received.
Palliative care also includes end-of-life care and bereavement.
Who is it for?
For any person and their family needing help with symptoms and decision making from any life-limiting illness. It’s not only for people who are close to dying from a serious illness (e.g., cancer or heart failure). It’s also for people who have many months to live, with illnesses that don’t get better or may get worse over time (e.g. dementia, kidney disease).
What types of services are offered?
Palliative care services are based on a person’s wishes and goals. Decisions about future health care can be based on choices known as Advance Care Planning in Canada https://www.advancecareplanning.ca/acp-across-canada/
Services may be different depending on where a person lives. Here are some that may be included:
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supporting someone to live and feel as well as possible
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helping to make decisions about where to get care (e.g., home, a hospice, a hospital, or long term care centre) as the illness and needs change
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helping the person and their family decide on goals of care
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managing pain and other symptoms (e.g. nausea, breathing problems)
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helping the person and family understand what to expect from their illness
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giving emotional and spiritual support
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answering questions about the end of life (e.g., organ and tissue donation, funeral plans, financial worries)
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offering volunteer support
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connecting the family to grief and bereavement services
How to get it?
Talk to your doctor or other health care team providers.
Call Health Link at 811
How can I help?
Be part of a Palliative Care Compassionate Community . You can start by helping a neighbor or check with your parish how they support those in need. Check with other community and health care organizations. Just get started.
Where can I find out more about palliative care?
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Alberta Palliative and End of Life Care Information https://albertahealthservices.ca/info/Page14778.aspx
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Alberta Advance Care Planning https://myhealth.alberta.ca/HealthTopics/Advance-Care-Planning
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Advance Care Planning in Canada https://www.advancecareplanning.ca/
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Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association https://www.chpca.ca/
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Canadian Virtual Hospice https://www.virtualhospice.ca/en_US/Main+Site+Navigation/Home+Navigation/About+Us.aspx
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Health Canada Palliative Care https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/palliative-care.html
Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease Caregiver Support
Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease Caregiver Support Organization, Alberta Health Services (AHS) Dementia Advice Line
- The Dementia Advice line offers 24/7 telephone nurse advice for individuals and caregivers living with Dementia and Alzheimer’s.
- When needed, callers will be referred to a specialized dementia nurse for additional support.
- Call: 844 (811# on cell phones)
- Types of services offered: Helpline.
Grief and Bereavement Resource Repository
Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association
This repository of grief and bereavement resources is a collection of useful links and resources to help you and your loved ones cope with grief. Please note this page will be updated on regular basis with new and other suggested resources.
