Lifetime Health Care Planning Road Map
For Good Care Today Over Your Lifetime
Our Lifetime Health Care Planning Road Map helps you health care providers walk with you on your health care journey to understand your goals, values and care choices, and provide the best possible care at every phase of health.
You can create you own roadmap by using the planning guide below. It provides helpful information, MA planning documents and resources to Promote Wellness & Stay Healthy, Manage Health and Chronic Illness as you age, and Live Well with Serious Illness.
A Good Place to Start is with Our Tool Kits
No matter where you are on your health care journey, a good place to start is with the Getting Started Tool Kit to make a plan, and the Next Steps Tool Kit to build on your plan. The tools kits are included at every phase of health in the road map below.
Getting Started Tool Kit
Next Steps Tool Kit
Your Road Map for Good Care Over Your Lifetime
The Health Care Planning Guide includes information & fact sheets, MA documents to write down your care choices, and discussion guides to talk with your care providers at each phase of health to create your own personal road map. You'll notice the planning tools remain the same in each phase of health to easily add and update your planning documents over time, and build on your conversations to get good care that matches your goals, values and choices. You can start at any point on the road map and revisit as you like. Click on links below to learn more.
Promote Wellness & Stay Healthy
Anyone can start here to make a plan, or begin where you are most comfortable.
Start to Make Your Plan
Get Information & Fact Sheets
Know Your Legal & Patient Rights
Who Can Make Health Care Decisions in MA?
An overview: decision-making authority under Massachusetts law.
Adults:
- 5 Top Legal Rights
- Rights of Adults with Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities
- Rights of Adults with Mental Health Issues
Health Care Agent:
- Role of a Health Care Agent; How to Choose An Agent?
- Decision- Making Authority of a Health Care Agent
Guardian:
A Caregiver's Role: What's a Caregiver Do?
Reflecting on Your Values & Beliefs
What is Supported Decision-Making?
Plan: Write down your choices
Here are the 5 MA planning documents. Download single documents or use the tools kits:
Single Documents
Health Care Proxy
- English- Download document
- Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Haitian-Creole, Russian, Traditional Chinese, Arabic, Khmer, Albanian- Download Document
Personal Directive (Living Will)
- English- Download document
- Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Traditional Chinese- Download document
Durable Power of Attorney- More Information
Comfort Care/Do Not Resuscitate Order (CC/DNR)- Info & Sample Document
Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (MOLST)- Info & Sample Document
Tool Kits
Getting Started: Health Care Proxy & Personal Directive documents
- Step-by-step mini tutorials videos
Next Steps: Information re: Durable Power of Attorney, CC/DNR, MOLST
Talk About Your Care Goals
Download handy discussion guides to match good care to goals, values and choices.
For Consumers: Consumer Guide 1: Start a Simple Conversation to Stay Well
For Care Providers: Care Provider Guide 1: Start a Simple Conversation to Stay Well
Manage Health & Chronic Illness
Manage your care as your health needs and choices change. Add and update planning documents.
What is Chronic Illness?
A chronic illness or chronic disease is broadly defined as a condition that lasts a year or longer, and can limit your daily living activities and may require ongoing care and medical attention. Nearly half of all Americans have one chronic condition, such as diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, mental health issue or some of the other diseases listed below. Check with your primary care physician to learn more about your illness, available treatment options, and how to manage your disease.
Get Information & Fact Sheets
Plan: Write down your choices
Here are the 5 MA planning documents. Either download single documents or use the tools kits:
Single Documents
Health Care Proxy
- English- Download document
- Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Haitian-Creole, Russian, Traditional Chinese, Arabic, Khmer, Albanian- Download Documents
Personal Directive (Living Will)
- English- Download document
- Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Traditional Chinese- Download document
Durable Power of Attorney - More information
Comfort Care/Do Not Resuscitate Order (CC/DNR) -Info & Sample Document
Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (MOLST)- Info & Sample Document
Tool Kits
Getting Started: Health Care Proxy & Personal Directive documents
- Step-by-step mini tutorials videos
Next Steps: Information re: Durable Power of Attorney, CC/DNR, MOLST
Talk About Managing Chronic Illness
Download handy discussion guides to manage chronic illness, and match good care goals, values and choices.
For Consumers: Consumer Guide 2: Managing Health and Chronic Illness
For Care Providers: Care Provider Guide 2: Managing Health and Chronic Illness
Live Well with Serious Illness
Talk with your health care providers about treatment options. Add and up date planning documents.
What is Serious Illness?
Serious illness care is for patients of any age who are considered to be at risk for a life-threatening medical event because they have a serious life-limiting medical condition or a medical frality. A serious illness diagnosis can include Severe Heart Disease, Metastatic Cancer or Malignant Brain Tumor, Advanced Lung Disease or Renal Disease, Advanced Neurodegenerative Disease (Dementia). Serious illness care is provided from initial diagnosis, through managing changing treatment options, to end of life.
Get Information & Fact Sheets
Plan: Write down your choices
Here are the 5 MA planning documents. Download single documents or use the tools kits:
Single Documents
Health Care Proxy
- English- Download document
- Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Haitian-Creole, Russian, Traditional Chinese, Arabic, Khmer, Albanian- Download Documents
Personal Directive (Living Will)
- English-Download document
- Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Traditional Chinese-Download document
Durable Power of Attorney- More information
Comfort Care/Do Not Resuscitate Order (CC/DNR)- Info & Sample Document
Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (MOLST)- Info & Sample Document
Tool Kits
Getting Started: Health Care Proxy & Personal Directive documents
- Step-by-step mini tutorials videos
Next Steps: Information re: Durable Power of Attorney, CC/DNR, MOLST
Talk About Living Well with Serious Illness
Download handy discussion guides to live well with serious illness, and match good care to goals, values and choices.
For Consumers:
Consumer Guide 3: Living Well with Serious Illness
Consumer Guide 4: Le'ts Talk About Palliative Care
For Care Providers: