This document is intended for anyone living with a chronic or serious illness to help you stay in control of your
care over time. To provide you with the best possible care, it is important that we share medical information
and answer your questions to help you make informed decisions.
Tell us about your goals and what is important to you
Members of your health care team may talk with you
about your illness and your goals and wishes for your
care. We will ask about your goals for when you are
well and if you become sick.
Having these conversations is important to make
sure you get the right care for you.
Think about these questions to prepare for the future
Asking yourself these questions now may help you feel less anxious, more at peace and more in control of your future. Preparing for the future now is especially helpful if your health changes expectedly or unexpectedly.
- What do I want to know about living with my illness, such as its impact on day-to-day life?
- What should I expect in the future, such as how will my illness change over time?
- What information do I need to make decisions about my future, such as what treatments are available or recommended, and if the treatment is meant to cure the illness or make me feel better for a period of time?
- What is most important for me to have a good quality of life, such as being at home or with family, not needing a machine to live, or knowing how to manage pain or other symptoms?
- What worries me when I think about the future, such as having pain and other symptoms, managing getting weaker, being a burden to others, or knowing how to get help when my clinic is closed?
Learn about your treatment options so you know what to expect
- are meant to cure illness
- make you feel better or comfortable
- are taken at home
- are given at the hospital
Learning about the treatment options available to you,
as well as possible side effects, can help you decide
which options might be right to meet your health goals.
Know who will make decisions for you if you cannot
Ask someone you trust to make decisions for you if
there comes a time when you cannot make decisions
yourself. Tell them your wishes and what matters
most to you. This is one of the most important ways
to stay in control of your care.
We can help you identify your substitute decision maker
or fill out a Power of Attorney for Personal Care form
if required. This form is applicable only in Ontario. For
other provinces please visit advancecareplanning.ca
for more information. We will keep the form in your
chart so we have it if we need it.
Share your wishes with us
We will record your wishes in your chart. Having this
information will help us honour what matters to you most.
We understand your wishes for the future may change. Tell us if this happens and we will update your chart.
Know we’re here to support you
We are here to support you and answer questions so you can
make the best decisions for yourself.
© 2021. University Health Network in association with its educational initiative to improve serious illness care, The Conversation Lab. This guide has been adapted from the work of Ariadne Labs(ariadnelabs.org) that is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Do not reproduce without permission.
