Advance Care Planning (ACP): Conversations That Help Us Care Better

08/04/2026

Every April, Life and Death Matters joins people across Canada in shining a light on Advance Care Planning (ACP), as not as a task to complete but as a practice of listening, reflecting, and honouring what matters most.

This year, our focus brings together everything we care deeply about: compassionate community care, real conversations, and practical tools that help people speak for themselves – long before a crisis. These conversations are also essential resources for palliative care, helping teams understand what matters most so care can align with a person’s values.

Across Canada, 80% of people agree that planning for their future healthcare is important, yet only 17% have documented their wishes¹. ACP Month is our reminder that these conversations matter, and that they can begin gently, simply, and with the people we trust most.

What Is Advance Care Planning?

Advance Care Planning is a values‑based process that helps you think about, talk about, and document what matters most for your health and personal care.

According to Advance Care Planning Canada¹, Advance Care Planning helps you:

Think about what is important to you
Learn about the care you want
Choose decision‑makers you trust
Share your wishes so the right people know what you want
Record your preferences and substitute decision‑maker(s)

ACP is part of life planning, just like preparing a will or naming beneficiaries. It helps ensure that the care you receive reflects your values, beliefs, and preferences. It also strengthens compassionate community care by helping families, caregivers, and healthcare providers understand your wishes.

Who Is Advance Care Planning For?

ACP is for everyone, not just older adults, not just people living with illness, and not just those nearing end of life.

It is for:

Adults of any age
People living with chronic illness
Caregivers and families
Personal Support Workers (PSWs) and healthcare providers
Communities building compassionate care networks
Anyone who wants their voice to guide their care

ACP is also a vital part of resources for palliative care, helping teams understand what matters most, so care can be aligned with a person’s values.

If not you, who? If not now, when?

Why Advance Care Planning Matters

Across Canada, organizations like Advance Care Planning Canada, Speak Up Ontario, and Canadian Virtual Hospice,are helping individuals, families, and care teams understand the heart of ACP:

Clarifying values
Naming what matters
Choosing who will speak for us if we cannot
Reducing stress for loved ones
Supporting care that aligns with our wishes
Strengthening compassionate community care
Ensuring palliative care teams have the information they need to honour preferences

Advance Care Planning is part of life planning and can help everyone, including healthcare providers, to understand your values so that the care you receive respects your wishes and preferences. It is also one of the most important resources for palliative care, ensuring that care teams have the information they need to support you with dignity and clarity.

A Story That Started With Listening

In our recent blog, Speaking for Myself: What My Daughter Taught Me About Advance Care Planning, Maria shared a moment that surprised her, a moment where listening, without assumption, changed everything.

It’s a reminder of something simple and profound:
ACP begins with listening.
Not with paperwork.Not with perfect words.
Just listening.

The Cookie Jar Conversations: A Webinar About Real ACP Dialogue

On April 16 2026, ACP Day, some of our team at LDM Tiara, Kath, Maria and Michael will gather for The Cookie Jar Conversations.

We’ll explore ACP through real conversations with each other, showing how everyday moments can open the door to deeper dialogue about care, choice, and who we trust to speak for us.

And we’ll be using our Advance Care Planning Conversation Cookies to help spark those conversations.

Care Planning Cookies: Small Prompts, Big Conversations

Sometimes the hardest part of ACP is knowing where to begin. That’s why we created Advance Care Planning Conversation Cookies² that act as simple, gentle prompts to help people reflect on their values and share their wishes.

These cookies are one of our tools for compassionate community care, because they make ACP feel human, approachable, and even warm. They are also a practical, accessible resource for palliative care, helping families and care teams start conversations that matter.

One question can open the door.

One cookie can start the conversation.

One moment of curiosity can change everything.

Explore the cookies and bring them into your home, workplace, or community.

Our Top Ten ACP Tips for PSWs Who Care

Here are our top ten ACP tips for PSWs that are simple, human, and grounded in everyday practice:

Advance Care Planning isn’t about forms.
It’s about conversations and listening without assumption.
“If not you, then who? If not now, when?”
ACP begins with speaking and listening from the heart.
Sometimes the most loving thing we can do is listen even when the answer surprises us.
One conversation can change everything.
One question can open the door. Sometimes, all it takes is one Care Planning Cookie.
Advance Care Planning is a gift to ourselves and to the people who may one day need to speak for us.
Real stories. Real lessons. Real conversations about what matters most.
Listen, then start one of your own.
You don’t need the perfect words just the willingness to ask.
If you don’t speak for yourself, someone else will have to.
ACP helps ensure your voice is heard.
PSWs hear what often goes unsaid.
ACP honours those quiet truths of fear, hope, and what matters most.
You don’t need to have the answers.
You just need to listen and help others be heard.

These tips reflect what PSWs already do so well: care with compassion, presence, and deep respect for the people they support.

Where to Begin: Trusted ACP Resources Across Canada

If you’re ready to take the next step, these national resources offer tools, guides, and conversation starters – all essential resources for palliative care and compassionate community care: