Who Ya Gonna Name?
Step #1 in advance care planning is selecting who will make health care decisions for you if you’re not able to speak for yourself.
To help you select, we’ve created the Who Ya Gonna Name grid. It gives you the seven top criteria for evaluating who to name from among your family and friends. Use it to compare your possible decision-makers.
Choosing your decision-makers (also known as agents and surrogates) should not be like rolling dice. Think about how they stack up under the seven criteria from the grid:
- Are they at least age 18?
- Will they be clearheaded when needed?
- Will they be available when needed?
- Can you talk with them about personal beliefs and issues that matter?
- Will they be able to ask questions and get answers from doctors and hospital staff?
- Will they follow your wishes, even if they don’t agree?
- Will they be able to stand up for you against those who disagree?
Once you choose your top decision-maker(s), you need to make it official in a formal advance directive / power of attorney. And you need to start talking about what’s important to you. Find more at our Resources page.