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Advance Care Planning | UC Davis Health

Advance Care Planning

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Download your Advance Directive here:

Advance care planning is a process of reflection and communication that helps individuals and families to prepare for future health care decisions. Defining what matters most to you, including at the end of life, helps guide decisions in an emergency.

Advance care planning is valuable for all adults, but is especially important for older adults and people with serious illnesses.

Reflect on and talk about your values and goals

  • Think about your important values and goals.
  • What does "quality of life" mean to you?
  • If you were near the end of your life, what would be most important to you?
  • If you became critically ill, are there medical treatments, like CPR or machines to keep you alive, that you would rather forego?
  • Talk with your loved ones and health care providers so they know what is important to you.
  • For additional tips, visit the "Advance Care Planning" section in your MyUCDavisHealth account.
  • For more information, see:

Choose a Health Care Agent

Your health care agent is a person you choose to help make health care decisions for you if you become unable to make them yourself. Your agent should be someone who:  

  • Knows you well and can help your doctors understand your priorities
  • You trust to follow your wishes and do what is best for you
  • Can be reached in an emergency
  • Is at least 18 years old

It is important to talk with your health care agent to make sure they agree to this role and understand what is most important to you. Also, bringing your agent to important medical visits can help them feel prepared to speak for you in an emergency.

For more information about selecting a health care agent, see:

Document your preferences

An Advance Health Care Directive is a simple legal document you can use to designate your health care agent and write down important health care instructions. 

Go to the top of this page to download an Advance Health Care Directive form.

Share copies of your advance directive with your health care providers, health care agent, and important family members or friends. You can also upload your advance directive to your medical record using your MyUCDavisHealth account in the "Advance Care Planning" section.

For more information about advance health care directives, see:

A Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) is an additional document that provides medical orders to first responders in a medical emergency. People with serious illness or with chronic, progressive disease should consider completing a POLST form, together with their health care provider. The POLST form complements an Advance Health Care Directive and does not replace it.

For more information about POLST

  1. To make sure you are treated the way you want, if you become unable to make your own decisions due to serious illness or injury.

  2. To make sure the person you choose to help make decisions on your behalf has the authority they need in an emergency.

  3. To ease decision-making for your loved ones, give them the gift of knowing what matters most to you at the end of life.  

  1. Sign up for the class UC Davis Health - Healthcare Decisions classes.

  2. If you have a serious illness, ask your medical team for a referral to advanced care planning counseling.