Question and Answer

Creating an advance care plan can seem intimidating, so we created a five step program to assist and guide you through your planning process;

  1. Think – About what your personal wishes are, and what’s right for you. Find out what is most important to you regarding your end of life wishes.
  2. Learn – Familiarize yourself with the different medical procedures provided during end of life care. Use our resources and conduct personal research to find the most suitable care plan.
  3. Choose – Designate a substitute decision maker. This will be someone in your life who you can trust to speak on your behalf if you can’t speak for yourself.
  4. Talk – Have an open conversation with your substitute decision maker. Make sure that they have a clear understanding of your wishes.
  5. Record – Make sure your wishes are well documented, whether that be through a video, voice recording, or written document.

We provide free access to the workbooks, guides, and toolkits necessary for completing your advanced care plan in an accessible and easy to use format. You can use our toolkits and workbooks in tandem with our five step plan to create an organized and well documented advanced care plan. 

Make sure that you use the appropriate resources for your region, as we provide these tools on a national and provincial level to ensure you follow the required provincial guidelines.

If you cannot locate a required document, please check our various resources through our Resources and Tools, ACP Across Canada, and News pages.

Our most recent and up to date edition of the Pan-Canadian National Framework (January, 2020), will always be available directly through our website under Resources and Tools.

Our new Framework includes an updated plan for implementation of advance care planning in Canada. The 2019 Pan-Canadian Framework builds on the legacy of the 2012 National Framework and its influence on new developments and accomplishments.

The Pan-Canadian Framework aims to focus on broadening partnerships, and promoting further collaboration among different jurisdictions and systems. Its development was funded by Health Canada as part of a $1.9 million project over three years to help people living in Canada prepare for their future health care needs.

Advance Care Planning policies can vary dependent on your province or territory. In order to ensure your end of life wishes are honoured it is crucial to have an understanding of your provincially specific policies.

This includes understanding what your rights and privileges are, as well as understanding the laws and regulations regarding end of life care, specific to your province or territory.

While creating your advance care plan it is also important to make sure that you are using the correct documents for your province or territory. There are multiple ACP workbooks, toolkits and guides specifically created to follow the provincial/territorial requirements for your advance care plan.

ACP Canada values a free, accessible and open shared knowledge amongst the community. Our website provides you with all the necessary tools to inform yourself on the most recent advanced care planning updates and developments.

Our Resources and Tools page is an easily accessible database of our most current and up to date information regarding advance care planning. This includes any toolkits, workbooks, guides or research relevant to ACP.

Our ACP Across Canada page highlights the latest advanced care planning activities, programs and events in Canada.

Our News page provides access to our articles, press releases, and relevant updates regarding advance care planning.

Still can’t find your required document? Please feel free to Contact Us directly as the document may have been archived due to our recent website update, we will do our best to accommodate your request.

Research

Under the leadership of the Canadian Hospice and Palliative Care Association (CHPCA), clinicians, researchers and decision makers have been meeting for the past 3 years to develop a national strategy to implement ACP in Canada, to raise the awareness of Canadians about the importance of advance care planning and to equip them with the tools they need to effectively engage in the process.