Why do advance care planning?

Advances in medical technology have given medicine the ability to prolong life through artificial or mechanical means. These advances have created their own dilemmas, especially when the treatments may be of limited or no benefit to the patient. Doctors and family can find themselves having to decide for the patient when to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining treatments when the patient can no longer communicate their own decision. Advance care planning enables a patient's wishes and views to influence this discussion and decision.

Planning treatment choices, in advance of any problems occurring, gives those who will be undertaking the caring, the opportunity to respect their loved one’s choices. If, in the future, a person became unable to express their choices for treatment, their doctors and family/significant others may not know what their loved one would want and this can become a very difficult experience. Discussing choices now can be a comfort and of assistance to family/significant others in the future.