Advance care planning
Advance care planning is a way for you to make sure your voice is heard about your medical care, especially if there is ever a time when you cannot speak for yourself.
If something unexpected happens, like an accident or sudden illness, and you cannot tell the doctors what you want, your advance care plan guides your treatment.
Making this plan is a chance for you to think about your values, wishes, and beliefs. That way, if you cannot speak up, your health-care team and your loved ones know exactly what you would want.
You can create your advance care plan at any point in your life. It's a good idea to do it early. You can also update your plan whenever you like.
Take a moment to think about your future care. Your advance care plan is all about making sure your wishes are known by your loved ones and health-care teams.
Pick a type of plan
The provincial My Voice: Expressing My Wishes for Future Health Care Treatment booklet explains advance care planning options and how they work. It also has the forms you need to make an advance care plan. There are different types of plans you can choose:
- A basic advance care plan: a written statement of your beliefs, values and wishes, with a contact list for people who could be your potential Temporary Substitute Decision Maker.
- A basic advance care plan, plus a Representation Agreement: this allows you to name a specific person to make health and personal decisions for you.
- A basic advance care plan, plus an Advance Directive: an Advance Directive is a capable adult’s written instructions that speak directly to their health-care provider about future health-care treatment.
- A basic advance care plan, plus a Representation Agreement and an Advance Directive.
Get started
- Think about your beliefs, values and wishes regarding future health-care treatment, especially if you have chronic or complex health conditions.
- Have conversations with the people closest to you and health-care provider(s).
- Write down your wishes and instructions for future health care as a basic advance care plan.
- Make sure the people who need it can quickly find your advance care plan.
- Share your plan with your health-care provider(s) and your substitute decision maker if you have chosen one, and update it as needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
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How can I start a conversation about my wishes with a loved one or health-care provider?
When you are ready to start a conversation about advance care planning, the first steps include speaking with your health-care provider and those close to you to make sure they know your wishes, understand them and are willing to honour them. You can start the conversation with something like: “I’ve been thinking about the future and what kind of health-care decisions I might have to make. I wonder if we could talk about it.”
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When should I start conversations about my wishes with the people closest to me and care providers?
Start conversations about your wishes and values as soon as you can and don’t hesitate to check-in often to ensure your plan reflects your changing priorities and health-care needs.
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Am I locked into my advance care plan?
You can change your advance care plan at any time while you are still capable of making decisions–you are not locked into your plan. If you do change your plan, give copies of your new plan to your health-care providers, substitute decision maker (if you have one) and revoke your old plan.
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Does a power of attorney cover health-care decisions?
No. In British Columbia, your power of attorney can only make legal and financial decisions for you. They cannot make decisions about health care.
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What if I am unable to make decisions about my care?
Your substitute decision maker will be approached to make medical decisions if you become incapable of expressing your wishes. If you have not assigned a substitute decision maker, a temporary substitute decision maker will be needed to make necessary decisions on your behalf. The Health Care Consent Act states that the temporary substitute decision maker is responsible for signing for medical procedures, providing additional information to the care team and advocating for your care wishes.
Resources
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Advance care planning
Ministry of Health
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Frequently Asked Questions
Ministry of Health
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Advance care planning in Canada
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Advance care planning
First Nations Health Authority
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Consent to Health Care Pamphlet
This pamphlet outlines what you need to know about the law, including when consent is required, when it's not required, substitute decision-makers, and more.
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Decision Aid Tool and Guide
The Ottawa Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making
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VCH Advance Care Planning workshops
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Nidus Personal Planning
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Plan for your future care
People's Law School
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Register as an organ donor
TransplantBC
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Advance Care Planning in B.C.
English
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Advance Care Planning in B.C.
English with Punjabi subtitles
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Advance Care Planning in B.C.
English with Simplified Chinese subtitles
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Advance care planning guide (English)
My voice: expressing my wishes for future health care treatment
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Advance care planning guide (Punjabi)
My voice: expressing my wishes for future health care treatment
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Advance care planning guide (Simplified Chinese)
My voice: expressing my wishes for future health care treatment
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Advance care planning guide (Farsi)
My voice: expressing my wishes for future health care treatment
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Advance care planning guide (French)
My voice: expressing my wishes for future health care treatment
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Advance care planning guide (German)
My voice: expressing my wishes for future health care treatment
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Advance care planning guide (Hindi)
My voice: expressing my wishes for future health care treatment
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Advance care planning guide (Korean)
My voice: expressing my wishes for future health care treatment
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Advance care planning guide (Spanish)
My voice: expressing my wishes for future health care treatment
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Advance care planning guide (Tagalog)
My voice: expressing my wishes for future health care treatment
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Advance care planning guide (Vietnamese)
My voice: expressing my wishes for future health care treatment
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