Organizations
The ABA Commission on Law and Aging works to strengthen and secure the legal rights, dignity, autonomy, quality of life, and quality of care of older adults. Through research, advocacy, education, and more, the Commission assists a variety of groups working on issues of aging – including aging individuals themselves. Their “Consumer’s Toolkit for Health Care Advance Planning” serves as a great resource for individuals that are thinking of making a health care advance directive or have already signed one.
The Alzheimer’s Association leads the way to end Alzheimer’s and all other dementia by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. To achieve the highest level of care for those affected, the Alzheimer’s Association supports putting legal, financial, and end-of-life plans in place. On their website, they have tips on developing a care team as well as information on where and how to start planning for one’s future.
AARP works to enhance the quality of life for all as we age. AARP provides resources and assistance to over 37 million members nationwide on topics such as family caregiving, health insurance, healthy living, Medicare, and more. When it comes to future planning, they have resources on creating advance directives, financial considerations, and other documents for caregiving.
Five Wishes is a program of Aging with Dignity that seeks to promote dignity through conversations that matter. This resource uses everyday language to walk people through creating their own advance directive. Five Wishes was the first advance directive to address personal, emotional, and spiritual issues in addition to meeting medical and legal criteria. Overall, it has been distributed by over 40,000 organizations and has reached over 30 million individuals.
National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) strives to expand access to a person-centered model for healthcare that promotes comfort, peace, and dignity. Their program, CaringInfo, provides free resources to help people make decisions about end-of-life care and services before a crisis. This program provides information on a wide variety of topics including planning ahead, caregiving, grief, pain, and more. State-specific advance directive information can be found here. Resources are available in English, Spanish, and Mandarin.
The Arc Center for Future Planning
The Arc has been supporting individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD) and their families for more than 60 years. The Center for Future Planning provides reliable information and assistance on areas such as person-centered planning, decision-making, housing options, and financial planning. In addition, the Arc has resources such as “Build Your Plan”® where families can create accounts and begin creating plans with the Center and a resource directory of professionals who can assist individuals with I/DD and their families.
The Conversation Project is a public engagement initiative that strives to help everyone talk about their wishes for care through the end of life, so that they can be understood and respected. Since 2011, The Conversation Project has collaborated with the Institute for Health Improvement (IHI) to initiate conversations about living and dying and encourage people to plan.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Innovation Center
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation Center supports the development and testing of innnovative health are payment and service delivery models that aim to achieve better care for patients, better health for our communities, and lower costs through improvement for our health care system. One of these models, called the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) Advanced Model includes an Advance Care Plan Quality Measure. Click here to learn more.
The Center on Youth Voice, Youth Choice
The Center on Youth Voice, Youth Choice is for youth with disabilities. Everyone has the right to make their own decisions about their life! They work with individuals, families, and supporters to conduct research, advocate, and teach about alternatives to guardianship. Click here to view state by state alternatives to guardianship.