Adult and Supportive Person Care Planning Tool Kit

Choose a trusted supportive person. Make a Personal Care Plan!

Three examples of an adult and their supportive person.

Starting at 18 years old, you can make your own health care choices. You can choose a trusted supportive person to help you write down and show your care choices in a Personal Care Plan.

Your supportive person can be a family member, a friend, a caregiver or care professional- or any adult you choose.

Your supportive person can help-

Give you health care information in ways you can understand so you can make care choices that are right for you
Fill-in a Personal Care Plan to write down or show your care choices and personal preferences using words and pictures
Talk with your doctors and care teams about your plan to get care and services that match your choices and preferences

This tool kit includes a simple 3-Step Guide and a fill-in Personal Care Plan to explore their likes, dislikes and personal preferences, document choices for medical care and services, show personal skills and abilities and note any needed supports and accommodations.

Making a plan helps your doctors and care teams provide the best possible care today and everyday over your lifetime.

Download & Print "Adult and Supportive Person Care Planning Tool Kit"

Who can use this tool kit?

All adults with a range of decision-making abilities and personal skills.

Adults, 18 years old and older, who would like to choose a trusted supportive person to help make a personal plan can use this tool kit. The tool kit is designed to be very flexible for adults with a range of abilities and communication skills including-

Adults who can make some or all health care decisions
Adults who can communicate their care choices using words or through pictures, icons and emojis
Adults with cognitive impairments such as dementia, an intellectual and developmental disability and autism
Adults with health challenges and complex care needs
Adults who are subject to a guardianship or under guardianship

Our special thanks to Minuteman Arc, and parents, care professionals and adults who helped develop the tool kit. We are grateful for your expertise and experience to help ensure every adult can document their care choices and preferences in a personal plan. Read more in Things to Know below.

Things to Know

Who can be a supportive person?

What does a supportive person do?

A supportive person can support the adult's decision-making ability and personal skills to get the best possible care and services the adult wants and needs. For example, the supportive person can-

Give health care and other important information in ways the adult can understand in order to make care choices
Help fill-in a Personal Care Plan using words and pictures
Talk with the adult's doctors and care teams to get good care and needed services that honors care choices and personal preferences
Help with any personal task as directed by the adult.

What is the 3-Step Guide?

The 3-Step Guide, included in this tool kit, helps the adult and supportive person make a care plan. Each step includes a simple checklist to suggest ways a supportive person can help the adult. You can add your own ideas to the checklist and make changes anytime. Here are the three steps:

Step 1. Get health care information to make care choices.
- A supportive person can give the adult information in ways the adult can understand in order to make choices for needed medical care and services. The supportive person can also tell care providers what is most important to the adult.
Step 2. Write down and show the adult's care choices in the Personal Care Plan and other Massachusetts planning documents.
- A supportive person can help the adult fill-in a Personal Care Plan and explore other planning documents now and as health needs change. You can download no cost documents, fact sheets and sample forms to explore and complete.
Step 3. Talk with the adult's doctors and care teams to get good care every day.
- A supportive person can help share the completed Personal Care Plan with the adult's doctors and care teams to get care and services the adult wants and needs. Together, the adult and supportive person can update the care plan as health needs and care preferences change.

What is a Personal Care Plan?

A Personal Care Plan, included in this tool kit, is a fill-in planning document that helps the adult explore their likes, dislikes and preferences, documents choices for medical care and services, shows the adult's personal skills and abilities and notes needed supports and accommodations. The Personal Care Plan includes the following pages:

My Name and Name of My Supportive Person(s)
My Personal Directive with six sections to show your choices and personal preferences and notes your personal skills and needed supports
My Planning Documents checklist and Signature
My Summary & Updates

You can go at your own pace and include any information and documents you like. Once your care plan is complete, you can-

Share it with your family, doctors care teams and others to get good care;
Change your mind and update your plan as your health situation changes;
Attach completed documents (see Step 2) to protect your right to get the care you want.

How do I start to use this tool kit?

To get started, the adult and supportive person can decide the most comfortable way to fill out the Personal Care Plan. You can either-

Print a Paper Document- print this tool kit pdf and fill-in by hand; or,
Make a Digital Document- adapt this tool kit pdf using your computer to type in text and copy and paste in pictures to show your care preferences. See more instruction on the webpage.

You can download no cost informational fact sheets, multilingual planning documents and sample tools on the Resources page.

Two Ways to Fill-in your Personal Care Plan

Complete your Personal Care Plan in a way that is most comfortable for you

To get started, the adult and supportive person can choose to download and print the tool kit (PDF) and fill out the paper document by hand, or make your own digital document to type in text and "copy and paste" in pictures and icons to show your care choices and personal preferences. When competed, give a copy to your doctors, care teams and other important people to align the best possible care to your choices and preferences.

1. Make a Paper Document. No computer needed.

Download the tool kit (PDF) and print a paper copy.
- Fill-in by hand with a pen and sign it.

2. Make a Digital Document. Adapt the tool kit (PDF) using your computer, laptop, electronic device or technological aid.

Use your own application or program such as Microsoft Word, Google Document, Free Adobe Acrobat or other tools
- Save the tool kit (PDF) and import into your favorite application, program, or device
- Convert the PDF to an editable document to type in text and copy, resize and paste small pictures, icons, emojis to show your care preferences.

More Resources

Download no cost multilingual documents, fact sheets and sample forms

The Adult and Supportive Person Tool Kit is part of the Honoring Choices MA Who's Your Agent?® Program. Consumers and care professionals can use all the tools on the Honoring Choices website to view "how to" videos" and download no cost multilingual documents, fact sheets conversation guides and more. See Resources page

The Who's Your Agent? Program® has three tool kits. Choose whichever is best for you to start to make a personal plan and update your plan over your lifetime.

Getting Starting Tool Kit- start a simple conversation to make a plan by choosing a Health Care Agent in a Health Care Proxy and completing a Personal Directive (text only).
Adult and Supportive Person Tool Kit- adults choose a supportive person to start to make a plan using the 3-Step Guide and a fill in Personal Care Plan (text and pictures).
Next Steps Tool Kit- build on planning conversations with your care professionals and update their plan to manage chronic illness and live well with serious illness.