Advance Care Planning

What Is Advance Care Planning?

Advance care planning (ACP) is your opportunity to make sure your voice is heard, no matter what happens. It helps adults understand and share their personal values, goals and preferences for future medical care.

Think of advance care planning as a gift you give your loved ones who might otherwise struggle during a medical emergency to make choices about your care. Advance care planning is not a single decision; it's a process that occurs over time.

Why Is Advance Care Planning Important?

ACP is crucial because:

  • It is a mode of ongoing decision-making with your doctor to ensure that medical care is always aiming to achieve your personal goals.
  • By having these discussions ahead of time, you’re giving your family and care team the clarity they need to honor your choices so your preferences can guide your care.
Female patient speaking with a nurse in the clinic waiting room

How to Do Advance Care Planning

Here are a few ways to engage in advance care planning so that your medical treatments reflect what’s most important to you:

  1. Name a health care agent: Choose a trusted person to make medical decisions for you in case of an emergency.
  2. Consider your goals: If you couldn’t speak, what medical decisions would you want made for yourself by your health care agent?
  3. Communicate your health care priorities: Tell your doctors and your health care agent what’s most important to you regarding your medical wishes.
  4. Document this information: Write down who you’ve chosen as your health care agent, as well as any medical wishes, in a UCLA Health Advance Directive.
  5. Get the advance directive notarized or have it witnessed by two people: This step makes the advance directive official. Keep in mind that one of the witnesses can’t be related to you.

What do I do with my advance directive?

After you complete your advance directive, give a copy to your health care agents, key family members and your care team. Discuss it with your doctor. If you’re a UCLA Health patient, you can share your completed advance directive by following these steps:

  1. Upload and submit online: Scan your advance directive as a single file and upload it on the MyChart Advance Directive page or upload it directly to your doctor within MyChart.
  2. Fax: Send your advance directive to your doctor’s office by fax.
  3. In-person: Bring the advance directive to your next doctor’s appointment to discuss it with your doctor. Make sure your wishes are in your medical record.

For more information, browse our resources.

Questions? We’re Here to Help

If you need help navigating advance care planning or creating your advance directive, join us for our free Advance Care Planning Virtual Community Sessions. These monthly virtual meetings, which are open to the public, address questions around ACP and how to complete an advance directive. To RSVP, email [email protected].

Senior couple talking with a specialist