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Advance Care Planning Resources

By Kathy Black, PhD, MSW

Creating Your Life File: A Checklist For End-Of-Life Planning
A Life File is a central place to ensure your wishes are honored at the end of your life and your loved ones have the information they need to take care of your affairs when you die.

Five Wishes
Five Wishes is a national advance care planning program. The Five Wishes document is a thoughtful approach to advance care planning.

U.S. Living Will Registry
This registry was created to promote the use of advance directives and make people’s health care choices available to caregivers, families and providers while maintaining confidentiality of the information and documents. There is no cost to individuals to store their documents and people are responsible for updating their documents. The electronically stored directives are accessible to providers through secure transmittals. This website is particularly helpful for people who travel frequently.

Tool Kit for Health Care Advance Planning
The American Bar Association Commission on Legal Problems of the Elderly offers tools to assist in health care advance planning.

Caring Connections
Caring Connections provides information and guides on topics that include advance directives, palliative care, care giving and hospice care.

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