Advance Planning & Decision Making Supports

Advance planning allows individuals to identify preferred supporters and agents. It also is an opportunity to articulate wishes, values, and goals. Advance planning can include developing more formal arrangements, such as powers of attorney or health care directives, as well as less formal planning, such as identifying advisors who will help make a specific decision. It can also be used in conjunction with other decision supports—such as personal care and community services, electronic financial services, and technological and environmental supports—to increase the independence, autonomy, and decision- making authority of older adults. Advance planning and decision supports can help avoid unnecessary guardianships, and, in the form of estate planning, can be a useful tool for preserving homeownership.