We recommend creating an advance directive in advance when you are not in a medical crisis. This is because it involves taking the time to think about what type of care you want or do not want. You'll then want to have a conversation with your family, physician, and loved ones about your wishes.
Listed below are resources that offer assistance with advance care planning and advance directives.
Our resources
- Contact the Honoring Care Decisions program for a free individual or group advance care planning conversation with one of our trained advance care planning facilitators. To contact us, call Honoring Care Decisions.
- Make an appointment with Honoring Care Decisions to have an advance care planning conversation with one of our staff or volunteers, Monday through Friday, 8 am to 4 pm. Call 603-653-3404 or email us.
- Contact the Aging Resource Center if you are an older adult and need help completing the appropriate forms for New Hampshire and Vermont. The Center is open 9:00 am to 4:00 pm and is located at 46 Centerra Parkway, 2nd Floor in Lebanon, New Hampshire.
Advance care planning documents
- New Hampshire Advance Directives:
- New Hampshire Foundation for Healthy Communities: This foundation, based in Concord, NH, offers health-related community initiatives for the state, including advance care planning resources. Download their Advance Care Planning Guide for all the necessary documents.
- Vermont Advance Directives:
- Vermont Ethics Network: This website provides information and resources on advance directives, health care decision making, and current topics related to health care ethics, end-of-life care, palliative care, and pain management.
- Other resources:
- Put It in Writing: Maintained by the American Hospital Association, this website about advance care planning offers forms to download, reference information, a glossary of terms related to the process, as well as Spanish language content.
- U.S. Advance Care Plan Registry (formerly U.S. Living Will Registry): An organization that stores advance directives, organ donor, and emergency contact information. Health care providers can then access the information through an electronic automated system. There is a one-time fee to register.
- Prepare for Your Care: An online self-guided advance care planning tool for those who prefer to work through this process on their own. It will walk you through the process of thinking about your beliefs and goals of care and complete an advance directive specific to your state.