Advance care planning: Have a say in your care

When you become ill, you have the right to say yes or no to treatment options. But what if you became unable to decide for yourself? Who would speak for you? And would they know what you want and don't want? Any adult who can make health care decisions for themselves, can and should complete a medical advance directive to make sure their wishes are known.

• These forms are free

• You do not need a lawyer to complete the forms

• It is not necessary to complete both a Living Will and a POA-HC. If you only wish to complete one document, we strongly recommend you complete a POA-HC.

• A POA-HC and a Living Will do not concern any decisions related to your finances

There are two types of medical advance directives that allow you to document your health care wishes:

• Power of Attorney for Health Care (POA-HC): A legal document that allows you to choose a person (the “Agent”) to make health care decisions for you if you ever become unable to make those decisions for yourself. A POA-HC covers all health care decisions, not just those that are covered by a Living Will.
  

• Living Will (Declaration to Health Care Professionals) : A legal document where you can specify health care wishes for life-prolonging treatments if you were in a terminal condition or persistent vegetative state. This document does not designate a decision-maker.

Below are free forms you can download to complete your own Power of Attorney for Health Care (POA-HC). This is a legal document that allows you to choose a person (the “Agent”) to make health care decisions for you if you ever become unable to make those decisions for yourself.

This free, interactive one-hour workshop provides step-by-step guidance on how to complete the Wisconsin Medical Society Advance Directive including Power of Attorney for Health Care form.

The workshops are held online through a program called Microsoft Teams.

Register for a workshop

Once you complete the registration form, you will receive an email with instructions about how to participate in the workshop.

Note: This workshop is focused on advance care planning for Wisconsin residents.

If you are unable to attend a workshop, a 30-minute recording is available below.

Wisconsin patients

• UW Health Clinic patients
  Ambulatory Social Work
  (608) 821-4144
  advancecareplanning@uwhealth.org

• Hospitalized patients at University Hospital and East Madison Hospital
  Coordinated Care
  (608) 263-8667

Illinois patients

• UW Health SwedishAmerican Clinic patients
  Spiritual Care
  (779) 696-4620

• Hospitalized patients at UW Health SwedishAmerican Hospital
  (779) 696-4175