To facilitate something means to help with something or to make it easier.  In the context of Advance Directives, facilitation is when someone helps you complete an AD.  A facilitator is the person who helps you complete an AD.



Facilitators can:

  • Provide information and education about ADs
  • Answer questions about ADs
  • Help someone fill out an AD form
  • Help someone think through their wishes and preferences
  • Help someone decide how to phrase their preferences and directions in a way that health care providers will easily understand
  • Help someone think through the potential consequences of writing particular instructions



Facilitators should not:

  • Tell the individual what to write
  • Be judgmental
  • Do anything against the will of the individual who is completing the AD



Does facilitation help?

Research on Advance Directive facilitation has shown that facilitation is, for most people, a very important part of completing an AD.  Studies have shown the benefits of facilitation – here are some of the findings:

  • 84% of people working with a facilitator completed an AD versus 3% of people working alone completed one
  • Facilitation improves people’s understanding of ADs 
  • Facilitation helps people think through their reasons for certain treatment decisions
  • Individuals who complete an AD with someone’s help are more likely to remember they have an AD during a crisis




What is Facilitation?