Your Complete Advance Care Planning Checklist
Don't leave your healthcare decisions to chance. Use our comprehensive, step-by-step checklist to ensure your advance care plan is complete, legally sound, and fully understood by your family.
Your Complete Advance Care Planning Checklist
November 06, 2025
Planning for future healthcare decisions is one of the most important steps you can take to ensure your wishes are respected and your loved ones are spared difficult decisions during times of crisis. Advance care planning creates a roadmap for your medical care when you cannot speak for yourself. As an expert in this field, I've created a comprehensive checklist to guide you through this essential process across Australia, the UK, and the US.
Why Advance Care Planning Matters
Before diving into the checklist, let's understand why advance care planning is so crucial:
- Ensures your healthcare wishes are known and respected
- Reduces family stress and potential conflicts during medical crises
- Prevents unwanted or unnecessary medical interventions
- Increases likelihood of receiving care aligned with your values
- Provides peace of mind for you and your loved ones
- Creates clarity during emotionally challenging situations
"Advance care planning isn't just about end-of-life decisions—it's about maintaining control over your healthcare at any point you cannot communicate," explains experts at advance care planning.
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The Comprehensive Advance Care Planning Checklist
1. Reflect on Your Values and Preferences
☐ Consider what gives your life meaning and purpose
☐ Identify what quality of life means to you personally
☐ Reflect on how religious or spiritual beliefs influence your healthcare choices
☐ Think about trade-offs between quality and length of life
☐ Consider your views on aggressive medical interventions
☐ Reflect on where you would prefer to receive care (home, hospital, hospice)
"Understanding your own values creates the foundation for all other advance care planning decisions," notes family legacy planning.
2. Educate Yourself About Medical Treatments
☐ Research common life-sustaining treatments:
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
- Mechanical ventilation
- Artificial nutrition and hydration
- Dialysis
- Antibiotics for life-threatening infections
☐ Understand palliative and hospice care options
☐ Research treatments specific to any existing health conditions
☐ Learn about pain management approaches
☐ Understand the typical outcomes and side effects of interventions
"Making informed decisions requires understanding what medical interventions actually entail and their likely outcomes," advises experts in healthcare directives online.
3. Choose a Healthcare Agent/Proxy
☐ Identify someone who:
- Understands your values and preferences
- Is willing to advocate strongly for your wishes
- Can make difficult decisions under pressure
- Is likely to be available when needed
- Can understand medical information
- Can communicate effectively with healthcare providers
☐ Select alternate agents in case your primary choice is unavailable
☐ Ensure your chosen agents are willing to serve in this capacity
☐ Verify they meet legal requirements in your jurisdiction
"Choosing the right person to assign health proxy responsibilities is perhaps the most critical decision in advance care planning," explains advance health directive specialists.
4. Have Important Conversations
☐ Discuss your wishes with:
- Your chosen healthcare agents/proxies
- Close family members
- Your primary care physician
- Specialists managing any chronic conditions
- Spiritual advisors if relevant to your decision-making
☐ Address specific scenarios related to your current health status
☐ Explain your reasoning for particular choices
☐ Answer questions and address concerns
☐ Revisit conversations periodically as circumstances change
"These conversations, though sometimes difficult, are invaluable gifts to your loved ones," notes dementia care activities experts who work with families planning for cognitive decline.
5. Research Your Jurisdiction's Legal Requirements
Australia
☐ Identify your state/territory's specific forms and requirements
☐ Understand witnessing requirements (varies by state)
☐ Check if your state has a registry for advance care documents
☐ Research if Advance Care Directives in your state cover:
- Appointing a decision-maker
- Expressing treatment preferences
- Both functions combined or separate
United Kingdom
☐ Understand the distinction between:
- Advance Decisions to Refuse Treatment
- Advance Statements
- Lasting Power of Attorney for Health and Welfare
☐ Check specific requirements for England, Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland
☐ Verify proper witnessing and certification requirements
☐ Understand registration requirements for Lasting Powers of Attorney
United States
☐ Research your state's specific advance directive laws
☐ Locate your state's statutory forms
☐ Understand witnessing or notarization requirements
☐ Check if your state has a registry for these documents
☐ Verify if your state recognizes out-of-state directives
"Legal requirements vary significantly by jurisdiction, making research an essential step in effective planning," advises online will writing specialists.
6. Complete the Appropriate Legal Documents
☐ Advance Care Directive / Living Will:
- Specific treatments you would accept or refuse
- Conditions under which certain interventions would be acceptable
- Values statement to guide interpretation
- Specific wishes regarding organ donation
☐ Healthcare Agent / Proxy Appointment:
- Primary agent designation
- Alternate agent designations
- Specific powers granted
- When authority begins and ends
☐ Additional jurisdiction-specific documents:
- POLST/MOLST forms (US) for those with serious illness
- Values statement or ethical will
- Specific forms for dementia or mental health conditions
"Proper documentation ensures your wishes have legal standing when they matter most," notes experts in online healthcare planning.
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7. Execute Documents Properly
☐ Follow jurisdiction-specific signing requirements
☐ Ensure proper witnessing (typically two adult witnesses)
☐ Get notarized if required or recommended
☐ Have healthcare provider sign if required
☐ Include all required statements and certifications
☐ Date all signatures properly
☐ Have healthcare agents sign acceptance if required
"Even small errors in document execution can potentially invalidate your advance directives," cautions legacy preservation blog.
8. Store and Share Your Documents
☐ Keep originals in an accessible location (not a safe deposit box)
☐ Give copies to:
- Your healthcare agents/proxies
- Close family members
- Primary care physician
- Specialists for chronic conditions
- Your local hospital's medical records department
☐ Upload to electronic health records where possible
☐ Register with state/regional registries if available
☐ Store in a secure directives storage system
☐ Carry a wallet card with key information
☐ Consider a digital legacy vault with emergency access
"Even perfectly prepared directives are useless if they can't be found when needed," explains digital legacy vault specialists.
9. Create Supporting Materials
☐ Medication list with dosages and prescribing physicians
☐ Medical history summary
☐ Contact information for all healthcare providers
☐ Insurance information and policy details
☐ Letter explaining your values and reasoning
☐ Video recording discussing your wishes
☐ Specific messages for loved ones if certain conditions occur
☐ Digital healthcare documentation for comprehensive records
"Supporting materials provide valuable context that helps others interpret your formal directives," advises experts in healthcare directives online.
10. Plan for Regular Reviews and Updates
☐ Schedule regular reviews:
- Every 2-3 years minimum
- After any significant diagnosis
- Before major surgery or hospital admission
- After major life events (marriage, divorce, death of proxy)
- When moving to a new jurisdiction
☐ Create a system for updates:
- Calendar reminders for reviews
- Healthcare provider prompts during annual physicals
- Life event triggers for reassessment
- Digital advance care checklist with automated reminders
"Advance directives should evolve as your health status and circumstances change," notes specialists in update medical directives online.
For Those With Chronic or Serious Illness
If you're managing ongoing health conditions, add these items:
☐ Create condition-specific scenarios and preferences
☐ Address disease progression stages explicitly
☐ Consider experimental treatment and clinical trial preferences
☐ Discuss quality markers specific to your condition
☐ Create more detailed pain management directives
☐ Consider POLST/MOLST forms (physician orders)
☐ Plan for more frequent updates as condition changes
☐ Discuss prognosis and trajectory with specialists
☐ Include specific symptoms that would trigger preference changes
"Those with existing conditions benefit from more tailored and specific advance directives," explains experts in online ACP template design.
International Considerations
For those who travel or have connections to multiple countries:
☐ Research recognition of directives across relevant jurisdictions
☐ Consider creating jurisdiction-specific documents
☐ Investigate international advance directive registries
☐ Prepare translated copies of key documents
☐ Research healthcare proxy authority across borders
☐ Include travel insurance that recognizes advance directives
☐ Understand healthcare system differences in relevant countries
☐ Create emergency plans specific to frequently visited locations
"International travel and residency create unique advance care planning challenges that require additional preparation," notes online will writing.
Taking Action: Next Steps
To implement this checklist effectively:
- Start with values reflection and healthcare agent selection
- Research your jurisdiction's specific requirements
- Have important conversations with loved ones and providers
- Complete and properly execute legal documents
- Create a distribution and storage plan for documents
- Schedule regular reviews and updates
- Sign up for free with digital tools that support your planning
"The most important step is simply beginning the process—advance care planning is too important to postpone," advises experts in advance care directive.
Conclusion
Advance care planning is a profound act of self-determination and care for your loved ones. By working through this comprehensive checklist, you create a roadmap that ensures your healthcare wishes will be respected even when you cannot express them yourself.
While the process may seem daunting, breaking it down into manageable steps makes it achievable for everyone. The time invested now provides invaluable peace of mind and direction for both you and those who care about you.
Remember that advance care planning is not a one-time event but an ongoing process that evolves with your health, values, and life circumstances. Regular reviews and updates ensure your directives remain current and relevant.
By taking control of your future healthcare decisions today, you create clarity during potential future crises and give your loved ones the gift of confidence that they're honoring your authentic wishes.
Planning your will isn’t just about assets — it’s about protecting people, values, and clarity for those you love. Alongside preparing your legal documents, explore advance care planning resources to ensure your healthcare wishes are understood, and find gentle guidance for dementia support when planning for long-term wellbeing. Reflect on what truly matters through family legacy preservation resources, and digitise your legacy with a digital legacy vault that your loved ones can trust.
When the time comes to discuss your decisions, explore nurse information and care advice, and see how advance health directive tools help formalise your choices. For those seeking remembrance, discover thoughtful online tribute options, and read about great digital family legacy tools that make it easy. Begin early, act clearly, and protect your family’s future — peace of mind starts with preparation.
Made with love by the Holistic Legacy Hub