PREPARE Screen ShotPlanning for an uncertain future is never easy but a new, free and easy-to-use online tool is now available to help people think about complex medical decisions they may one day face.

With straightforward language and videos, concrete examples and simple step-by-step instructions, the PREPARE website (www.prepareforyourcare.org) helps older adults think about what is important to them and talk about that with their families and health care providers. These conversations are critical to making sure people get the kind of medical care they want, even if they can’t speak for themselves.

The PREPARE tool was developed by Rebecca Sudore, MD, a Hartford Center of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine Scholar, and other clinical researchers from the San Francisco VA Medical Center, UCSF, and NCIRE-The Veterans Health Research Institute. The resource was developed to address gaps identified through research with a culturally diverse group of patients and surrogate decision makers, published in the Nov. 27th issue of Journal of Pain and Symptom Management.

While knowing “what” to do is important (filling out advance directive forms, choosing a health care proxy, etc.), the PREPARE tool helps people get started with the “how” in a way that is accessible and easy to understand.

For more details, see a related post by Dr. Sudore on the GeriPal blog.

This is the third in an occasional series. See other Health AGEnda posts on Tools You Can Use:

Tools You Can Use: Guidelines for Assessing Patients Facing Surgery

Tools You Can Use: Principles for Treating Patients with Multiple Chronic Conditions