Community Professionals
Advance Care Planning
Quick Links: Advance Care Planning • You & Your Loved Ones • Community Professionals • Our History
“As adults, we make decisions every day from very simple to more complex choices. We plan ahead for a special vacation, a birth, a trip to the grocery store… an important thing you may not have thought about planning for is your health care future.”
Do you help individuals plan for their future? Are you:
- A lawyer
- A human resource professional
- A financial planner
- A faith leader
Do you offer supports, services or programs for:
- Older adults
- Employees
- Caregivers
- Faith communities
If the answer is yes, you are well-positioned to help people understand Advance Care Planning (ACP).
In Ontario, Advance Care Planning involves people:
- Identifying their future Substitute Decision Maker(s) or SDM(s) and,
- Having conversations about what is important them.
Why should I talk to my clients, employees, community about Advance Care Planning?
We all hope to be able to make our own health care decisions until the end; however, many of us will need someone to make health care decisions for us at some point in our life.
Advance Care Planning helps people determine who will make their health care decisions for them (their SDMs) and encourages conversations about their wishes, values and beliefs. By helping people identify their SDM(s), and by encouraging them to have conversations with them you are helping your clients be better prepared for a time when they might not be able to make their own health care decisions.
“Prior to participating… the Power of Attorney for Personal Care was the document with the least focus on it during planning discussions. It was the “warm up” to the financial discussions. Now the Power of Attorney of Personal Care generates the most discussion with clients because we don’t just talk about appointing a Substitute Decision Maker(s), we talk about what happens next.”
– Waterloo Wellington Lawyer
Is Advance Care Planning just for people at end of life?
No, not at all. Advance Care Planning applies to everyone. While end of life is an obvious trigger for these conversations, starting them earlier is ideal. We cannot predict when illness or accidents may happen and affect our ability to make decisions. So, it’s important to start these conversations early so that your clients, employees and the larger community know who their SDM(s) is, and are confident that their SDM(s) have the information they need to make healthcare decisions on their behalf.
“It’s important to talk about ACP in the workplace because it’s about wellness. We focus on employee wellness when we talk finances, employee benefits, health, mental health… ACP is just another component of wellness in the workplace.”
– Waterloo Wellington HR Professional
How can I make Advance Care Planning a part of the work I do?
#1 Ask your clients… Have you ever thought about who would be the best person to make decisions on your behalf if you got sick or were too ill to make your own decisions?
Get them thinking about their SDM(s) and help them to understand what this means. Show them the hierarchy, and explain how it works in Ontario. The first step of Advance Care Planning is having people identify their SDM(s) and determine if they need to complete any legal documentation to get anything in place.
#2 Educate about the role of SDM(s)
Educate people about how health care decisions are made in Ontario, and by whom. Explain the role of SDM(s) and talk about the qualities of a good SDM(s) (e.g. trustworthy, can make difficult decisions, willing to honour your wishes).
#3 Host an education session & have printed resources available
Make this information easily accessible to your clients, employees and larger community. Why not host an education session by contacting us or putting correct Ontario resources on display in your foyer, lunch room or waiting areas.
Resources For Professionals
Online Resources to assist you with Advance Care Planning.
Power of Attorney 101
A quick summary of Powers of Attorney for Personal Care & Property.
SDM Conversation Starters
Getting started is often the hardest part. Use these opening lines to help your clients identify the SDM(s) that right for them.
ACP Conversation Starters
Try one of these opening lines to help your clients start their conversations.
Good Estate Planning should include Advance Care Planning
Jim Kibble, Owner of Ontario Estate Consulting Solutions Inc, has built Advance Care Planning conversations into his estate planning services.
HR & Advance Care Planning: It’s about employee wellness
Tune in and hear Wendy Pratt, HR Manager with Wallentstein Feed & Supply, share how she has made Advance Care Planning conversations a normal part of the work she does. Advance Care Planning is an extension of the work HR already does.
Time to Talk: Exploring end-of-life conversations in a Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Rev. Jessica Rodela speaks about how her Unitarian Universalist Congregation has had conversations about end-of-life wishes, values and beliefs and shares the impact these Time to Talk conversations have had.
Time to Talk: Exploring end-of-life conversations in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Michael Clifton, from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, shares how their faith community engages in conversations about end-of-life wishes, values and beliefs.
Time to Talk: Exploring end-of-life conversations in the Muslim community
Fran speaks about how her Muslim community has had conversations about end-of-life wishes, values and beliefs and shares the impact these Time to Talk conversations have had.
Time to Talk: Exploring end-of-life conversations in a Lutheran congregation
Rev. Monika Wiesner talks about how she brought conversations about end-of-life wishes, values and beliefs to her Lutheran congregation and shares the importance of these conversations.
Resources For Your Clients
Why not share resources with your clients that they can take home and review on their own time.
Reach Out!
We're here to help.
Community Presentations
It can be difficult to understand how Advance Care Planning works in Ontario. Our Community Presentations can help answer these important questions.
Advance Care Planning: One on One Coaching
If you have specific questions about Advance Care Planning that you would like to discuss on a one-to-one basis, we can help.