Advance care planning

Make your own healthcare choices

Advance care planning is one of the best gifts you can give to yourself and to your loved ones. We can help.

It takes courage to plan ahead and think about a time in the future when you may not be able to make healthcare decisions for yourself or you are not able to communicate your preferences. By planning ahead, you can find comfort that your current and future care preferences are in writing and will guide your loved ones so they will not have the burden of guessing what you would want during if you could not speak for yourself about medical decisions.

Watch: Have the Conversation (Wisconsin Medical Society)

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Thank you for your interest in our advance care planning classes. To protect the health and safety of everyone in our community, we have decided to cancel these classes until further notice. Your health and the health of our community is our most important priority. Please call (608) 821-4144 if we can assist with your advance care planning questions.

Advance care planning helps you reflect on and identify what is important to you. You, your loved ones and your care team will have a better understanding of your current and future care preferences. Advance care planning will help you prepare your legal document.

Advance Directive

An advance directive is a legal document that:

  1. Names your healthcare agent (a person whom you trust, respect and can be your advocate to make medical decisions on your behalf if you are unable to do so yourself)

  2. Identifies your healthcare preferences and special requests

Advance care planning is an important part of your healthcare planning. By having your healthcare preferences in writing, your loved ones will understand what you want and will have the peace of mind that they are honoring your wishes.

Discussing personal preferences and acknowledging different perspectives can be an emotional experience for you and your loved ones. Our Advance Care Planning Facilitators and staff can provide thoughtful guidance to help you identify and express your healthcare wishes and any end-of-life requests.

We can help you complete advance care planning documents:

We encourage you to work with our advance care planning facilitators, social workers, chaplains or attend a class to make sure the forms are completed correctly and become part of your formal medical record.

Sudden illnesses or accidents can happen at any age. To make sure your wishes are known before you are faced with a medical crisis, any individual over age 18 can complete advance care planning.

Your healthcare wishes and preferences can change with life events or experiences. It is important to reflect on what's important to you and to make updates as your life changes. We can help you complete a new form if you want to make changes.

There is no cost to complete an advance care planning appointment or advance directive through UW Health.

  • When there is no advance directive, doctors may turn to adult family members to make decisions in the short term. Being a family member does not automatically make someone a healthcare agent. It is legally recommended you completed an advance directive to name healthcare agents who act as your voice if you are unable to make your own decisions.

  • Sometimes family members don't agree about what should happen When this happens, a guardian may need to be appointed by a judge. This takes both time and money.

You should keep the original in a safe place that is accessible by others.

You should give copies to your healthcare agent(s) – the person(s) you named to make healthcare decisions for you – to your primary care physician, and to the hospitals and clinics at which you receive care.

You can mail a copy directly to:

UW Health
Health Information Management
Attn: Advance Directive Coordinator
8501 Excelsior Drive
Madison, WI 53717