Health Care Planning Resources
Health Care Planning Process
Izumi S and Fromme E, Journal of Palliative Medicine, March 2017, 20(3):220-221
Make A Plan. Our Health Care Planning Process makes it easy to start with a conversation and make your own care plan.
Here how it works-
- On the left side are the steps in this process to talk with others about your health and make care choices;
- On the right side are the corresponding documents to write down your care choices, and guides to help with conversations.
The care planning process helps to ensure you and your health care providers have early and on-going conversations to get the best possible care aligned with your goals, values and care choices.
Get started with simple conversation to name a Health Care Agent, and complete a Health Care Proxy, Then just follow the steps in the process to make a personal care plan. The Honoring Choices Tool Kits below have everything you need.
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. The tool kit includes:
- MA Health Care Proxy form
- MA Personal Directive (Living Will) form
- "I Have a Health Care Proxy" Wallet Card
- Start a Simple Conversation To Stay Well- Guide 1
Next Steps Tool Kit
Build on your conversations from simple to serious illness-
- Honoring Choices Conversation Guides 2-4
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- Manage Chronic Illness;
- Live Well with Serious Illness
- Let's Talk About Palliative Care
- Update & Add Planning Documents
- DPOA, MOLST, CC/DNR
Conversation Guides
Honoring Choices MA and Ariadne Labs conversation guides work well together to engage in seamless conversations from simple to serious illness. Use them together or separately. The What Matters To Me Workbook helps prepare adults and families for serious illness conversations. See below
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.