Advance Care Planning in Alberta
April 16th, which is a Wednesday in 2025, is National Healthcare Decisions Day (USA), also known as Advance Care Planning Day, a day to encourage conversations and empower individuals to make their wishes for future healthcare known. So, while NHDD may not be a specific event in Canada, the underlying principles of planning ahead for healthcare decisions are strongly supported within the Canadian healthcare system.
In Alberta, as in many other provinces, Advance Care Planning (ACP) is an essential process for individuals who want to ensure that their healthcare preferences are respected in the event that they are unable to speak for themselves due to illness or injury. ACP is a critical tool that helps guide healthcare decisions when a person is unable to make them independently.
What is Advance Care Planning?
Advance Care Planning involves thinking about and discussing your values, beliefs, and healthcare preferences with your loved ones and healthcare providers before a health crisis arises. This proactive approach ensures that your wishes are clearly understood and can be followed in situations where you may not be able to communicate.
The main goals of Advance Care Planning include:
- Making decisions about future care: You can decide in advance what kind of treatment or care you would want, should you be faced with a life-threatening illness, accident, or other health challenges.
- Ensuring your voice is heard: ACP ensures that your healthcare team and family members know what your preferences are, even if you’re unable to make decisions at the time.
- Relieving stress for loved ones: Having clear instructions reduces uncertainty and conflict for family members who may be required to make decisions on your behalf.
- Encouraging early discussion: By planning ahead, ACP encourages people to engage in thoughtful, reflective conversations about their healthcare, which can often be difficult to have during an acute illness or injury.
Why is Advance Care Planning Important in Alberta?
In Alberta, as in many parts of the world, the healthcare system has shifted toward person-centered care, emphasizing patient autonomy and informed choice. However, there are times when patients may be unable to communicate their wishes due to medical conditions like dementia, unconsciousness, or other serious health issues.
The Alberta Health Services (AHS) strongly encourages individuals to engage in ACP to ensure that their health care preferences are communicated effectively to medical providers and their family members. ACP helps to guide end-of-life decisions, as well as medical interventions related to long-term care or treatment preferences.
It is also essential to recognize that in Alberta, where healthcare is publicly funded, Advance Care Planning is vital in reducing unnecessary hospital admissions or interventions that might not align with the person’s values.
Key Components of Advance Care Planning in Alberta
- Reflection on Your Values and Wishes: Before talking to others about your healthcare preferences, take the time to reflect on your values and what kind of care you would want in different situations. Consider questions such as:
- What quality of life matters most to you?
- What kind of medical interventions would you want or not want if you were seriously ill or incapacitated?
- Do you have specific wishes for end-of-life care, such as organ donation or palliative care?
- Discussing Your Wishes: It’s crucial to have open conversations with your family, friends, and healthcare providers about your wishes. These discussions should be held in advance of any medical crises, allowing you to express your desires in a calm, clear environment.
- Personal Directive: This is a legal document where you can name someone to make decisions on your behalf if you are unable to do so. It can cover decisions related to healthcare, personal care, and sometimes, financial matters.
- Enduring Power of Attorney (EPOA): This document grants someone the authority to manage your financial and legal matters if you become incapable. While this is not specific to healthcare, it plays a crucial role if there are financial matters involved in care decisions.
- To note: Organ Donation: You can express your wishes about organ donation either through your personal directive or a separate organ donor registry.
- Nominate a Proxy Decision-Maker: A key element of ACP is selecting a substitute decision-maker (also known as a “proxy”). This person can be a trusted family member, friend, or legal representative who will make healthcare decisions on your behalf when you are unable to do so.
- Revisit Your Plan Regularly: As circumstances change, so too may your preferences. It is important to review your ACP documents periodically, especially after significant life events such as aging, changes in health, or shifts in personal values. Make sure your wishes are always current and that your proxy is aware of any
Revisit Your Plan Regularly: As circumstances change, so too may your preferences. It is important to review your ACP documents periodically, especially after significant life events such as aging, changes in health, or shifts in personal values. Make sure your wishes are always current and that your proxy is aware of any updates.
Legal and Ethical Considerations in Alberta
In Alberta, the law supports the autonomy of individuals in making decisions about their own healthcare. However, if an individual loses the ability to make decisions for themselves, the personal directive or a proxy decision-maker takes over. The Alberta Personal Directives Act governs these decisions, outlining the role of substitute decision-makers and how they must act in the best interests of the individual.
It’s important to note that advance care planning documents are only legally valid if properly executed according to the requirements of the Personal Directives Act and other relevant laws.
Resources for Advance Care Planning
In Alberta, there are several resources available for individuals looking to complete advance care planning:
- Alberta Health Services (AHS): AHS provides resources, guides, and workshops on how to complete an ACP, including the Personal Directive form and information on naming a substitute decision-maker.
- Your Family Doctor: Your healthcare provider is an excellent source of guidance when discussing ACP. They can help explain medical terms, provide advice on medical interventions, and help document your preferences.
If you haven’t already considered Advance Care Planning, it is never too early to begin the conversation and make a plan for your future healthcare needs.
Resources:
Conversations Matter – Planning for your future healthcare
Alberta Health Services – Advance Care Planning
Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association
Advance Care Planning Canada
