Make room for the person’s preferences, chosen supporters and future questions before an urgent decision arises. Keep help with understanding a choice separate from legal authority to act for someone.
Evidence checked October 17, 2026 (America/Denver). Version 1.0. Original-source desk review; no practical testing.
What this guide helps you do
Conversation and document-planning questions. Clinical assessment, legal capacity, valid forms and authority to act require the appropriate professional and jurisdiction-specific advice. Keep actual health and account details private.
Begin with preferences and ordinary choices
Ask what matters to the person, which decisions they want help understanding and how they prefer information presented. Write their own priorities before assigning tasks to helpers. A person may want different kinds of support for different questions; planning should leave room to revise those preferences. Source: ACL supported decision-making overview.
Agree what a supporter will do
ACL describes supported decision-making as tailored help chosen by the person while they retain decision-making control. Discuss specific roles such as explaining options, preparing questions or attending a conversation. Agree boundaries, privacy and how the person can change the arrangement. Ask a qualified adviser about local legal arrangements where needed. Source: ACL supported decision-making overview.
Prepare a medical-planning conversation
NIH’s introduction connects future medical preferences with conversations, a living will and health-care-proxy questions. Ask the care team what choices and documents should be discussed and where suitable forms and professional help can be found. The linked course and forms were not evaluated here; document requirements need a direct check. Source: NIH introduction to advance care planning.
Distinguish a contact from authority
CFPB distinguishes a brokerage trusted contact, who does not have access to the money, from a financial power of attorney. Ask the institution what a proposed role allows and an appropriate lawyer whether a legal document fits the person’s wishes. Keep financial and health-care authority questions separate. Source: CFPB planning for diminished financial capacity and illness.
Create a private document index
CFPB suggests organizing important financial records and keeping information current. Make a private index of relevant documents, where they are held and which professional can answer questions. Use this public worksheet only for categories and next actions; keep actual account numbers, passwords, PINs and private documents in appropriate secure storage. Source: CFPB planning for diminished financial capacity and illness.
Review wishes, supporters and documents
Set a review date and revisit the plan when wishes, health, relationships, accounts or legal arrangements change. Confirm which version is current and who needs to know how to find it. Ask the appropriate professional about any uncertain document, capacity or authority question rather than inferring an answer from age or disability.
A record you can use
| Record | What to write down |
|---|---|
| Preference | What matters and how the person wants information |
| Support | Chosen helper, specific task and boundaries |
| Medical planning | Questions for the care team or legal adviser |
| Financial role | Contact, information access or legal authority to clarify |
| Private index | Document category, secure location and responsible professional |
| Review | Current version, date and changes requiring another discussion |
Learning route
- Hear preferences: Record the person’s wishes and communication needs.
- Agree support: Choose specific help and clear boundaries.
- Clarify authority: Ask professionals about the relevant documents and roles.
- Keep it current: Maintain a private index and review after changes.
Checklist
- The person’s preferences are in their own words.
- Support roles and boundaries are agreed.
- Medical and financial questions are distinguished.
- A trusted contact is not treated as account authority.
- Actual private details are stored appropriately.
- Professional questions and the next review are recorded.
Resources and their limitations
NIH introduction to advance care planning
NIH introduction to advance care planning — NIH News in Health
Use. Use the article to prepare questions about care preferences, a living will, a health-care proxy and discussion with the care team; ask about forms and requirements appropriate to the person and jurisdiction.
Access and cost. Public HTML reading. Devices, assessment, training, services and professional advice may have separate charges or eligibility conditions; actual costs and availability were not checked.
Review and limits. July 2024 article. Introductory description of planning and a linked email course, not a current enrollment check or full advance-directive guide. Linked NIA pages, forms and PDFs not read. No capacity, medical choice, proxy authority, document validity or clinical outcome assessed.
ACL supported decision-making overview
ACL supported decision-making overview — Administration for Community Living / HHS
Use. Describe the kind of help wanted, the chosen supporters and the specific decisions involved. Ask a qualified local adviser how available supports and legal arrangements fit the actual situation.
Access and cost. Public HTML reading. Devices, assessment, training, services and professional advice may have separate charges or eligibility conditions; actual costs and availability were not checked.
Review and limits. Last modified July 17, 2023. Concept introduction plus historical grant-program information; older awards are not current assistance offers. No state agreement, legal status, guardianship issue, individual capacity, supporter fitness or service availability assessed; linked clearinghouse not reviewed.
CFPB planning for diminished financial capacity and illness
CFPB planning for diminished financial capacity and illness — Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Use. Use the document-organization, trusted-contact and power-of-attorney sections to prepare questions for the financial institution and an appropriate lawyer; keep sensitive account details in private storage.
Access and cost. Public HTML reading. Devices, assessment, training, services and professional advice may have separate charges or eligibility conditions; actual costs and availability were not checked.
Review and limits. Page last modified December 8, 2025. Selected HTML sections only; linked guides, securities rules, Social Security procedures and reporting routes not reviewed. No financial product, investment, account access, legal document, capacity or authority transfer evaluated. A trusted contact does not itself confer account authority.
Historical starting point
The Spring 1969 Person to Person review combines professional writing with a writer’s account of lived experience. This guide extends the importance of the person’s own perspective to modern planning and chosen support. Historical therapy claims, anecdotes and diagnostic ideas are not used to assess capacity or determine a legal arrangement. Locator: Whole Earth Catalog — Spring 1969, PDF page 84, printed page 82.
Related guides
- Aging at home — browse the Public Library
- Participation and disability rights — browse the Public Library
- Caregiving plans and shared responsibility — browse the Public Library
Last substantive desk review: October 17, 2026. Sources retain their own dates and geographic limits. Local services and individual products require a fresh check at the time of use. For a correction, retain the page title, source and passage in question.
