What is an Advance Care Planning Facilitator?
The role of the Advance Care Planning (ACP) Facilitator is a growing and vital part of the healthcare landscape. These professionals play a key role in engaging individuals, their families, and loved ones in person-centered decision-making for healthcare. The primary goal of the ACP Facilitator is to ensure that an individual’s informed healthcare decisions are understood, respected, and honored.
ACP Facilitators are tasked with organizing and overseeing advance care planning activities for clients and their advocates. Their responsibilities include guiding advance care planning discussions, reviewing and documenting conversations, and assisting with the completion of advance directive documentation.
Our Purpose
Our Founder
Jim Kraft, PhD
For over 20 years, I served as a hospice and hospital chaplain, witnessing the profound challenges individuals and their families faced in navigating the complexities of healthcare. Too often, patients were swept along by the system, unable to have a meaningful voice in their care. Families frequently made critical, life-altering decisions during moments of crisis, overwhelmed by fear, pain, and uncertainty.
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This all-too-common scenario caused profound distress for patients and their loved ones and the doctors and nurses providing care. To create a better healthcare experience, it was clear that something essential was missing.
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In 2023, we founded Advance Care Associates (ACA) with a mission to transform the way people experience their healthcare journey. At ACA, we believe that when individuals take the time to reflect on what matters most to them—both in terms of their health and life goals—they are better equipped to navigate any medical situation. Likewise, when families understand their loved ones’ wishes, they are better prepared to provide meaningful support throughout the medical journey.
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Through Advance Care Planning, we facilitate meaningful discussions between individuals and their loved ones, empowering them to engage in thoughtful conversations with doctors and other care providers. These proactive discussions encourage open dialogue before a crisis, such as a medical emergency or life-altering condition, arises.
I invite you to join me and our dedicated team of compassionate and knowledgeable professionals as we work to make a meaningful difference in the lives of individuals and families experiencing the challenges that come with aging or life-altering illness.