Click here for a printable presentation to introduce you to advance care planning.

There are several kinds of documents that patients can use to help caregivers understand what kind of care they want -- particularly if the patient is no longer able to communicate.

An advance directive is a written instruction, in a form recognized by New Jersey law, that speaks to the provision of health care should a patient be incapacitated.  To obtain a copy of an advance directive form specific to New Jersey, click here.

A living will is a document that specifies what life-saving and life-sustaining care a person wants and does not want to receive if the person becomes both incapacitated and terminally ill.  One such is the popular "Five Wishes" document developed by Dignity With Aging.  For a copy, click here.

A healthcare proxy form or durable power of attorney is a legal document through which a person names someone else (an "attorney-in-fact" or an "agent") to make health care decisions on his or her behalf in the event of future incapacitation.  For a copy of the New Jersey form, click here.