Advance Care Planning & Directives

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Service Overview

Advance care planning is how you share your values, wishes and beliefs about the care you want to receive if you become terribly sick. Writing down what matters to you on a legal document and sharing it with family, friends and your healthcare team provides them peace of mind that they will make the right decision for you.

At Hawaiʻi Pacific Health, our team can help you make the decisions that are right for you.

View transcript

There are many moments in life when we'll have the privilege and responsibility of caring

for a loved one. During difficult times, the ability to honor and respect loved ones for

their advanced care planning needs comes from understanding their priorities, values and

wishes. Having this conversation offers individuals and families the comfort of having a well

thought out plan. At Hawaiʻi Pacific Health, our advanced care planning team has cultivated

many conversations. Our compassionate and patient-centered staff helps to lighten the

burden of uncertainty by asking the right questions and being specific. Among the resources

we offer are insightful, first-hand stories shared by courageous individuals such as Mr.

Mark Rassi of Kauaʻi. So, we have also Orange trees, naval orange trees, Valencia oranges,

grapefruit, tangerine.

There's some eggs in here. C'mon girls. We've got a little ranch

here where we raise our livestock and I'm constantly out there working and getting exercise

so I thought well, you know, I got to be in pretty good shape. I went in for a routine

colonoscopy and you know, they discovered that I had colon cancer. That's not the whole

story, I actually went over to UCLA to get my cancer surgery and they said, 'Oh by the

way, your heart is in really bad shape and you need a quadruple bypass,' which they

did. So this was a complete surprise to me that I had health issues and that they were

as severe as they were. Advance care planning is not only for the patient, it's also for

the family and loved ones who are making the decisions for that patient, if they're unable

to make the decisions for themselves. Maybe you said to them, well I don't want to be

resuscitated they're always going to be doubting themselves. "Should I have done something?"

And you don't want to leave them with that burden of guilt. You want to make sure when

they make that decision that they are confident that that's what you wanted and you have to

tell them. You just talk about it. That's all. You got to do it. If you don't do it,

you don't know what the husband or the wife wants.

With the help of informative videos from our advance care planning team, Mr. Rassi and his wife reached an understanding of Mark's

wishes. Many others with different situations also find comfort in preparation, as did Mr.

Errol Hung of Honolulu: I was in my doctor's office one day and I saw in the waiting room

I saw a pamphlet about advanced care directive. I said, "Well maybe I better look into it."

I think for most people, myself included, it's probably hard to confront those issues

that may come, but I did it primarily to ease the burden.

There might be confusion or indecisiveness on behalf of my family, if something were to happen to me and I was incapacitated or

if I had a terminal illness. But, whatever people care to do I think it's important that

they get that conversation going with their family. That's the important thing.

Without the right tools, the conversation might seem daunting and difficult. But when approached

ahead of time and with proper support, it can help loved ones find clarity, peace, acceptance

and dignity. The conversation can be a vital step in creating the right environment to

share what you need to say, and to meet the transition ahead with Aloha. Ask us today

for more information on how you can get started.

Patient Resources

Creating Your Advanced Care Plan

Creating your advanced care plan takes four steps:

Know your options: Speak with your provider, or sign up for an advance care planning class and invite your family to attend with you.
Think about what you want: Some questions to consider when creating your advance care plan include:

Who would you choose and trust to speak for you about your health choices if you were unable to speak?
Does this person know what kind of care you want or do not want if you have a serious illness?
What care would you like to receive when you die?

Write down your decisions: Put your plan in writing in a legal document. See different advanced care documents below.
Talk about it: Share the legal documents with your family and healthcare team. Talk about your decisions and answer any questions they may have. Doing so helps those caring for you to honor your wishes.

Advance care plans can change at any time. Be sure to share any updates to your plan with your loved ones and health care team.

Advanced Care Documents

These PDFs can help you with your advance care planning.

Advance Directive Information: What to include in your advance care directive, designating your agent, indicating wishes for comfort care and making sure your directive is honored.
Advance Care Planning Information: What is advance care planning and what are the benefits of having one.
Hawaiʻi Advance Health Care Directive Form: Use this fillable form to designate your agent and specify your individual instructions for end-of-life decisions.
Hawaiʻi Durable Power of Attorney Form: Use this fillable form to grant power of attorney to your agent to make decisions about your property.
Fax Template for Advance Care Planning Documents: Cover sheet for transmitting advance care planning documents by fax.

Support Resources

Kōkua Mau
A Hawaiʻi-focused organization with resources for those with serious illnesses and their loved ones.

National Portable Medical Orders
POLST for seriously ill or frail individuals.

The Conversation Project
Helping people share their wishes for care through the end of life.

Get started with free conversation guides

Care at Kapiʻolani

Understanding advance care planning will help you determine kind of care you would and would not want if you or your child became very sick. Knowing your healthcare wishes can provide comfort and peace of mind for you and your loved ones.

Beginning the discussion for advance care planning can seem daunting, however Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women & Children is here to help you take the first step. Contact your primary care provider today to discuss how creating an advance care plan can help you.

In the event you are hospitalized, your physician, nurse or social worker may schedule an appointment with an Advance Care Planning Facilitator.

Care at Pali Momi

Advance care at Pali Momi starts with your primary care provider (PCP). Your PCP can provide you with resources and help you begin the discussion about advance care planning.

Pali Momi also provides an Advance Care Planning Class that takes you through the process of deciding the kind of care you would and would not want if you became very sick and establishing legal documents to share with your family and healthcare team.

In the event you are hospitalized, your physician, nurse or social worker may schedule an appointment with an Advance Care Planning Facilitator.

Care at Straub Benioff

Sharing your healthcare wishes can provide comfort and peace of mind for you and your loved ones.

Straub Benioff provides an Advance Care Planning Class to help you better understand the kind of care you would and would not want if you became very ill and create the proper legal documentation to share.

Discuss your decisions with your primary care provider (PCP), your larger healthcare team, and your family.

In the event you are hospitalized, your physician, nurse or social worker may schedule an appointment with an Advance Care Planning Facilitator.

Care at Wilcox

Advance care planning at Wilcox starts with your primary care provider (PCP). Contact your PCP to discuss what should be in your advance care directive, and how to ensure that your wishes are honored should you become very sick.

In the event you are hospitalized, your physician, nurse or social worker may schedule an appointment with an Advance Care Planning Facilitator.