In many areas of life, there can be benefits to planning ahead. Healthcare is no exception. It can be valuable to document how you’d like to be cared for and who you’d like to make care decisions for you if you become unable to yourself, even if you don’t think you’ll need it.

Social worker Kim Barnhart explains the steps for doing these things in detail on this episode of the For Health’s Sake podcast. We talk through:

• When to make advance health care directives
• The role of a medical power of attorney
• What happens if you don’t have a care directive
• What to do with advance care documents

Put a plan in place

Your care team will always do what’s best for you, but if you have specific preferences, documenting them can be very helpful. Advance health care planning is a form of insurance – it can give you peace of mind knowing that your wishes will be followed as closely as possible, even if you can’t personally provide input.