Getting Started Tool Kit

Start a simple conversation to make your own health care plan.

It's as easy as 1-2-3! 

Hispanic mother and daughter

1. Who's Your Agent?

Choose a Health Care Agent in a Health Care Proxy.

signing Personal Directive

2. What Matters to Me?

Write down your care choices in a Personal Directive (Living Will).

Talking to a doctor.

3. Talk About Your Care.

Use our handy conversation guide to put your plan into action.

This do-it-yourself tool kit provides step by step instructions to start to make your personal health care plan.

Step 1. You choose a person you trust to be your Health Care Agent. Start a simple conversation to tell your Agent what's important to you and the kind of care you want if you get sick or injured.

  • Not able to choose an Health Care Agent? That's OK.  Just start with Step 2 to make your plan.

Step 2. You can write down what's important to you and your care choices and preferences in a Personal Directive (Living Will).

Step 3. Start a simple conversation with your care providers to put your documents in your medical record, and talk about your goals to get the best possible care today and over your lifetime.

The  Getting Started Tool Kit includes:

  • Health Care Proxy document
  • "I Have a Health Care Proxy" Wallet Card
  • Personal Directive (Living Will) document
  • "Start a Simple Conversation to Stay Well", a handy conversation guide to talk with your care providers.

The Health Care Proxy is available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Russian, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Haitian-Creole, Khmer, Albanian, Arabic, Nepali, Swahili, Tagalog and Polish.  Download here.

See all our multilingual documents, videos and tools on the Resources Page.

Quick Start Video. It's quick & easy to make your plan.

This short video reviews the 3 easy steps in the Getting Started Tool Kit.

Watch the video to learn how to fill out the documents and put your plan into action.