Health Care Planning Resources

2024-01-19 HCM Tools for Health Care Planning Process

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.
  •   Build on your planning conversations: Talk with your clinicians to manage chronic illness and live well with serious illness.
  • 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.

Everything you need is on the Resources Page here.

 

Start Here: Who's Your Agent? Program Tool Kits

Getting Started Tool Kit Cover

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

Download the Getting Started Tool Kit

Next Steps Tool Kit Cover

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

Download the Next Steps Tool Kit

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. 

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.

Read More

Personal Directive (Living Will)

Write down what's important to you and instructions for the care you want.

Read More 

Durable Power of Attorney

Choose a trusted person to make financial decisions for you and pay for the care you need.

Read More 

Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment

Seriously ill patients talk with clinicians about their treatment decisions and document choices.

Read More 

Comfort Care / Do Not Resuscitate Order

Seriously ill patients talk with clinicians about resuscitation and document choices.

Read More

Multi-lingual Documents, Tools & Videos

Information and FAQs

Download Fact Sheets and Frequently Asked Questions

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.