Advance care planning helps you have a say about the health care you would like to receive if you get very sick and cannot speak for yourself. It is a way for you to reflect on your personal values, wishes and beliefs to make your own future health care decisions. Vancouver Coastal Health has created a new website to help people navigate advance care planning.
The BC government has a website on Advanced Care Planning here
You can download a free copy of “My Voice” the Advance Care Planning Guide from the website. The new guide is a workbook that contains information on how to do advance care planning and also forms for making a personal advance care plan.
A Representation Agreement permits the patient to appoint both a financial representative and a health representative (guide available at www.trustee.bc.ca). A Power of Attorney (with an enduring clause) is the recommended legal document to appoint a financial representative.
Public Guardian and Trustee of British Columbia
The Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association’s “Speak Up” website provides excellent tools to help people and their families make decisions and plan for future health care. Another link to there material is here.
Prepare for you Care is an online program to help people make medical decisions