Planning Ahead

Published by Davis Phinney Foundation

This short webpage explains what an advance directive is, provides a values worksheet to help you think through what's important to you at the end-of-life, and lists six simple steps to walk you through the process of creating and sharing your advance directive - no lawyer necessary.

Published by The Michael J. Fox Foundation, January 5, 2021

Movement disorder experts, people living with Parkinson’s, and care partners offer food for thought in determining what's important to you when preparing your advance healthcare directive in this step-by-step guide, with further online resources to help you complete your directive, plan for your financial future, and contribute to Parkinson's research.

By Parkinson's Foundation, June 27, 2019

This 75-minute webinar, presented by CPA and elder law attorney, Martin Shenkman, lays out a 12-step plan for getting your financial and legal documents in order, and keeping them that way as financial assets, family status, medications, etc. change over time.

See also Legal, Financial & Insurance, a comprehensive guide covers legal rights and protections for people with Parkinson's and their care partners

Published by The Conversation Project

The numerous links on this page explore a variety of resources to help make, discuss and document future healthcare wishes and decisions for your self and your loved ones.

Published by Coalition for Compassionate Care of California

Numerous links to conversation tools, advance directive forms, advance directive FAQs and instructions, and information about POLST, healthcare agents, decision-making capacity, CA healthcare decision law fact sheet, medicare reimbursement for advance care planning, and more! Some of the resources on this page are in Spanish.

Published by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization

Links to nine informative pages that explain advance directives, choosing your healthcare agent, downloading your state's advance directive, preparing and storing your advance directive, and digital advance directive services.

Published by National Institute on Aging

A four-page printable article uses a story format to understand when and why having all your important papers up to date and where your family can find them. It itemizes what 'important papers' are and lists several organizations that can help, either directly or by helping you find a trustworthy lawyer. This information is expanded with links to more information and question & answers on this webpage.

Published by The Regents of the University of California

PREPARE is a step-by-step program to help you have a voice in your medical care, talk with your doctors, and fill out an advance directive form to put your wishes in writing.

Published by End of Life Washington

While the advance directive document available from End of Life Washington is specific to Washington state, this website has downloadable values worksheet and healthcare decisions IQ test to help anyone, anywhere, make end-of-life choices, pages that explain specific end-of-life options and downloadable pages with general information about advance directives and the process for completing them.

By National Public Radio, June 30, 2020

This 21-minute episode of the Life Kit podcast discusses the costs and benefits of planning for the end of life. Included are six tips to get you started and ensure you include everything that's important to you.

By TED

In this TED Talk Peter Saul, an emergency doctor, asks us to think about the end of our lives, and to question the modern model of slow, intubated death in hospital. He shares two big questions can help you start this tough conversation with your family.

By Family Caregiver Alliance, February 24, 2021

In this one-hour talk, author Mary Matthiesen shared why it's important to complete an advance healthcare directive, the four steps involved, the legal parts of an advance directive, and how to complete a Physician Order for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) if you have a critical health issue.

Published by Aging with Dignity

An easy-to-use legal advance directive document written in everyday language that is valid in most states as published and available for as little as $5. Five Wishes helps all adults consider and document how they want to be cared for at the end of life, considering medical, personal, emotional and spiritual aspects. It also helps to guide and structure discussions with family and physicians, making conversations easier.

Published by AARP

Select your state to find free, printable, advance directive forms for each state. You'll find instructions on how to fill out the forms at each link.

Published by Stanford Medicine

Free letter templates specifically designed to help you write to your doctor, your friends, and your family about what matters most to you at life's end. Without making your wishes known, family members will struggle to guess what you would want, and ineffective medical procedures may be done causing you to suffer and costing your estate. Use your letters to complete an advance directive in minutes.

Published by American Bar Association, 2020

This tool kit contains a variety of self-help worksheets, suggestions, and resources. There are eight tools in a 20-page booklet. The tool kit does not create a formal advance directive for you. Instead, it helps you do the much harder job of discovering, clarifying, and communicating what is important to you in the face of serious illness.

By Atul Gawande, October 7, 2014

In Being Mortal Gawande, a practicing surgeon, shares eye-opening research and rich storytelling about his own family and patients. He asserts that medicine done properly can comfort and enhance our experience even to the end, providing not only a good life but also a good end.

By Coda Alliance

Go Wish cards help you find words to talk about what is important if you were to be living a life that may be shortened by serious illness. Sorting the cards alone can help you determine your priorities before completing an advance directive. Playing the game with relatives or best friends can help you learn how you can best comfort your loved ones when they need you most.