Who's Your Agent? Program

Make a plan for good care today and over your lifetime.

Phases of personal health for health care planning.

Starting at 18 years old, adults have the right to make decisions about their health and personal care. Adults can direct their choices whether they are able to make some or all decisions, with or without the help of others.

The Who's your Agent? Program provides a structured approach to health care planning with tools and resources to make your own plan. Your personal care plan helps you talk with family and important people about your care preferences, and work in partnership with your health care providers to get the best possible care over your health care journey.

Here's how it works...

View the Video: Step-by-Step Health Care Planning Process: A Roadmap for Quality Care

Take a look at our step-by-step health care planning process short video. Adults can decide where they are on their health care journey and start important conversations to make care choices, and use the accompanying planning tools to write down their care choices.

 The short video below shows you how to get started on your personal plan.

View the video. 

Start to make your plan with a simple conversation to Name a Health Care Agent, and complete a Health Care Proxy document. 

The process helps you have important conversations from simple-to-serious illness to make care choices, and write down your care choices using the Honoring Choices Tool Kits and the Ariadne Labs Serious Illness Conversations Guides.

Download the Health Care Planning Process handout [PDF].

You Can Start to Make Your Plan in 2 Ways

You can choose to start with the Getting Started Tool Kit to complete planning documents,  or with My Health Care Planning Checklist to personalize your plan.

Start a simple conversation to make your own plan.

Getting Started Tool Kit

Start a simple conversation with a person you trust to be your Health Care Agent and complete a Health Care Proxy. You can tell others what's important to you and give instructions for your care in a Personal Directive (Living Will) document.

Sample of checklist-style planning tool.

My Health Care Planning Checklist

Start with a simple checklist to identify your decision-making abilities, unique health care and personal needs, and care choices. Once you know what you can decide and do and where you may need help, you can build in needed assistance and supports into your personal plan. The Checklist includes:

  • Honoring Choices 3 Tool Kit and 5 MA Planning Documents
  • List of Resources for Community Supports, Accommodations and Alternatives  to avoid a Guardianship or Conservatorship
  • Steps to pursue a Guardianship or Conservatorship if needed.

See My Health Care Planning Checklist page

Choose a Tool Kit with 5 MA Planning Documents

The Who's Your Agent? Program® has three tool kits. The 5 MA Planning documents are accessible in each tool kit and on the website.  Choose whichever tool kit is best for you to start to make a plan and update your plan over your lifetime. If you are starting to make your plan with My Health Care Planning Checklist,  you can choose any tool kit to start to write down you plan.

  • Getting Starting Tool Kit helps adults start a simple conversation to make a plan by choosing a Health Care Agent and completing a Health Care Proxy, and writing down care choices in a Personal Directive (Living Will), the tool kit includes an "I Have a Health Care Proxy" Wallet card and more.
  • Adult and Supportive Person Tool Kit helps adults choose a supportive person(s) to help make a plan using the 3 Step Guide and a Personal Care Plan. The adult and supportive person(s) can use text or pictures to communicate the adult's care choices. This tool kit aligns with Supported Decision-Making.
  • Next Steps Tool Kit helps adults build on planning conversations with their care professionals and update their plan to get the best possible care to manage chronic illness and live well with serious illness. The tool kit includes fact sheets to explore a Durable Power of Attorney, a Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (MOLST), and Comfort Care/Do Not Resuscitate Order (CC/DNR). 

Gather Your Group: Consumers and Care Provider Webinars

Consumer taking a health care planning webinar for more instruction.

Honoring Choices regularly offers virtual informational sessions for consumer and care professionals.  Gather your group and reserve a time; we'll provide an engaging slide presentation with plenty of time for questions and feedback.

For Consumers:

  • Now's the Time. Make Your own Plan! 
    • 45 minute presentation to make a personal plan using The Getting Started Tool Kit. See webinars.

For Staff and Health Care Professionals:

Everything You Need is on the Resources Page.

Complete information about the Who's Your Agent? health care planning process and free downloadable tool kits, videos and  multilingual documents are on the Resources page.