Health Care Planning Resources
Our Health Care Planning Process (above) makes it easy to have planning conversations to make choices about the about the kind of care you want and write down your care choices in the accompanying planning documents. This graphic is a guide to help adults create their own personal care plan to get the best possible care today and everyday over your lifetime.
Make Your Own Plan
Here's how the guide works. Just follow the steps in the graphic above-
- On the left side, are the types of conversations that can help you think about your goals and care preferences and make care choices;
- On the right side, are the corresponding care planning documents to write down your care choices, and guides to help have conversations.
To Get Started
The Health Care Planning Process aligns the Honoring Choices MA structured approach to health care planning and the Ariadne Labs Serious Illness Conversation Guides for seamless conversations from simple -to serious illness- to end of life care.
- Start a simple conversation: Name a Health Care Agent and talk with your important people about your care preferences.
- Name a trusted person as your Health Care Agent in MA Health Care Proxy;
- Use the Getting Started Tool Kit or download a single document available in 15 languages.
- Give instructions for how you want to be cared for in a Personal Directive (Living Will);
- Appoint a trusted person as your financial decision-maker in a MA Durable Power of Attorney.
- Name a trusted person as your Health Care Agent in MA Health Care Proxy;
- Build on your planning conversations: Talk with your clinicians to manage chronic illness and live well with serious illness.
- Use the Honoring Choices "5 Things to Talk About..." Consumer and Care Provider Conversation Guide Series;
- The Next Steps Tool Kit will help you update and add your planning documents;
- For serious illness conversations:
- Download a free Palliative Care fact sheet and handy conversation guide
- Health care providers can use Ariadne Labs Serious Illness Conversation Guide;
- Adults and families can prepare for conversations with the What Matters to Me Workbook, by The Conversation Project and Ariadne Labs;
- Use the Honoring Choices "5 Things to Talk About..." Consumer and Care Provider Conversation Guide Series;
- Consider a MOLST Medical Order and end of life plan
- Talk about your treatment options and end of life care with clinicians and important people.
- Download a Hospice Care fact sheet; see ink to many resources.
- Talk about your treatment options and end of life care with clinicians and important people.
Everything you need is on the Resources Page here.
Start Here: Who's Your Agent? Program Tool Kits
Getting Started Tool Kit
Everyone can have a simple conversation and start to make your own plan-
- Name a Health Care Agent in a MA Health Care Proxy form
- Tell others how you want to be care for in a MA Personal Directive (Living Will) form
- Make your own "I Have a Health Care Proxy" Wallet Card
- Handy Conversation Guide 1- Start a Simple Conversation To Stay Well
Next Steps Tool Kit
Build on your conversations from simple to serious illness and update and add to your plan-
- Talk with family & care providers using our handy Conversation Guides:
- Guide 2- Manage Chronic Illness;
- Guide 3- Live Well with Serious Illness
- Guide 4-Let's Talk About Palliative Care
- Update & Add Planning Documents
- Durable Power of Attorney;
- For adults with serious illness, MOLST, CC/DNR form
Conversation Guides
The Honoring Choices Consumer and Care Provider Conversation Guides below mirror each other and offer 5 key topics to explore with sample questions.
For serious illness conversations, health care providers can also use Ariadne Labs Serious Illness Conversations Guide. Adults and families can use the What Matters To Me Workbook, by The Conversations Project and Ariadne Labs, to prepare for serious illness conversations with their health care provdiers.
The Honoring Choices and Ariadne Labs conversation guides work well together for seamless conversations from simple to serious illness. Use separately or together.
Honoring Choices Consumer Conversation Guides
5 Things to Talk About with Your Care Providers
Guide 1: Start a Simple Conversation to Stay Well
Guide 2: Managing Health and Chronic Illness
Honoring Choices Care Provider Conversation Guides
5 Things to Talk About with Your Care Providers
Guide 1: Start a Simple Conversation to Stay Well
Guide 2: Managing Health and Chronic Illness
Serious Illness Conversation Guides
For Health Care Providers: Ariadne Labs Serious Illness Conversations Guide
For Consumers: What Matters To Me Workbook available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Ariadne Labs and The Conversations Project.
5 Massachusetts Care Planning Documents
Here are the planning documents we use in Massachusetts. Download and print information and forms.
Health Care Proxy
Choose a trusted Health Care Agent to make care decisions. Appoint in a Health Care Proxy.
Personal Directive (Living Will)
Write down what's important to you and instructions for the care you want.
Durable Power of Attorney
Choose a trusted person to make financial decisions for you and pay for the care you need.
Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment
Seriously ill patients talk with clinicians about their treatment decisions and document choices.
Comfort Care / Do Not Resuscitate Order
Seriously ill patients talk with clinicians about resuscitation and document choices.
Multi-lingual Documents, Tools & Videos
Health Care Proxy
Personal Directive
Your Voice, Your Choice Videos
Information and FAQs
Capacity and Decision-Making
Caregivers
Care Planning: Health Care Planning vs. Advance Care Planning
Comfort Care/Do Not Resuscitate Order (CC/DNR)
Durable Power of Attorney
Guardianship
- What is Guardianship?
- Guardians' Role & Decision-Making Authority
Health Care Agent
Health Care Proxy
Hospice Care
Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (MOLST)
- What is a MOLST and CC/DNR?
- Sample MA MOLST form
- EMS and MOLST: Things you can do ahead of an emergency!
Palliative Care
Personal Directive
Serious Illness Care
Supported Decision Making
Terms & Tips to Understand Health Care Planning
Who’s Your Agent? Program
- Who's Your Agent? Program: a structured approach to health care planning.
- Who's Your Agent? Program for Care Providers
Helpful Webpages
Lifetime Health Care Planning Roadmap
See how the health care planning works at every phase of health- from promoting everyday wellness, to managing health needs and chronic illness, and living well with serious illness. Read more about the Roadmap.
Who's Your Agent? for Care Providers
Our Who's Your Agent? Program for Care Providers and Professionals is a one-stop overview of our structured approach to health care planning. It has everything you need to confidently engage adults in conversations from simple to serious illness, and make a care plan for the best possible care. Read about the Program for Care Providers.
Get Help In Your Community
Meet the Community Partners in 7 regions of the state. They can help you make a personal plan and connect you to care in your community. Find a Partner in your community.
New England Planning Documents
Download state-specific documents from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island and Connecticut. Read more about New England documents.
Serious Illness Care
Learn about serious illness care, how to have planning conversations, and consider a MOLST or CC/DNR form. NEW: the POLST Program coming soon. Read more about Serious Illness Care.
Palliative Care
Palliative Care helps people with serious illness have an extra layer of support to relive the pain, symptoms and stress of serious illness. Helps families too. Read more about Palliative Care.