Tips for starting advance care planning conversations

Think about when and where you might talk to your family and friends – at a family gathering, over a meal or coffee, or during a walk.

Some tips to start conversations:

• “I want to talk with you about what is important to me. I want to make sure you understand and could honour my wishes.”  
• “I want you to be prepared if you had make decisions on my behalf.”
• "Pastor Jones was talking about our choices for health care if something happened, and I realized that I haven’t told you about my wishes – we should talk about that."
• "That story about the family not agreeing about their mom’s care made me realize that we should talk so the same thing doesn’t happen to our family."
• “I think it’s really important all of the family understand my wishes.”

Think about what you know and what is likely ahead with your health.

Ask your doctor or nurse practitioner:

• “What health conditions do I have? 
• “Which of my health conditions are easily treatable? Which are not?”
• “What are possible treatments and complications I may face in the future?”
• “What should I be doing to plan ahead?”

Tips on how to talk with the people that matter to you:

• Talking about your illness with loved ones and caregivers

Tips on how to talk with your health care team:

• Talking about your illness with your health care team