Do you and your loved ones have an advance care plan? An advance care plan spells out decisions you'd like to make if you can't communicate because of an illness or accident.

You can base this plan on your personal values, preferences, and discussions with family and other loved ones. It can include advance directives, which are legal documents used in the event you are unable to communicate.

Making an advance care plan is valuable for people at any age but especially for older adults or those facing a terminal illness. The National Institute on Aging (NIA) encourages people to create an advance care plan when they are healthy and able. When making your plan:

• Consider who should be your health care proxy—a person who can make your health care decisions if you can't. This is usually a trusted family member, friend, or advisor.
• Think about what kind of end-of-life care you are comfortable with. Would you prefer dying at home, in a hospital, in a care facility, or somewhere else?
• Write a living will that includes all your decisions on care and treatment, and have it notarized.
• Tell key family members or trusted individuals where they can find your advance care planning documents.

To get you started, Advance Care Planning: A Conversation Guide is a free publication from NIA with clear guidance and worksheets.

The guide is also a good resource for caregivers who need help starting the conversation about advance care planning with a loved one. Caregivers can explain to their loved one why an advance care plan is important for both of them. By documenting someone’s wishes ahead of time, that person is more likely to get the care they want at the end of their life.

This article was originally published in April 2018. It has been updated.