Harvard Health Blog Get your affairs in order, COVID-19 won’t wait UPDATED APRIL 23, 2020, 11:37 AM Ashwini Bapat, MD, Contributor Emeric Bojarski, MD, Contributor The scourge of COVID-19 is spreading. Thousands of Americans are dying. What can you do to help? Yes, practice social distancing, wash your hands, and donate masks to local hospitals. Also, talk to your loved ones about advance care planning. Advance care planning means contemplating and deciding the type of medical care you would want if you had a life-threatening illness; you are never too young or too healthy to start these conversations. Learn more »

Get your copy of Advance Care Planning Living wills and health care proxies — documents known as advance care directives — give you a voice in decisions about your medical care at the end of life. Without these documents, choices may be left up to a doctor or a judge — someone who does not know your values, beliefs, or preferences. This Special Health Report, Advance Care Planning: A guide to advance directives, living wills, and other strategies for communicating health care preferences, will help you plan ahead and create legal documents to guide decision makers at this important time.

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Advance Care Planning Featured content: • What is advance care planning? • Step One: Deciding on your wishes for care • Step Two: Choosing a health care agent • Step Three: Creating your advance directives • Pitfalls, fixes, and tips for tough conversations •  ... and more! Click here to read more »