Important: This article is general information, not medical advice. Virtual care is not appropriate for every concern. For a medical emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.
Start with official Alberta information
Alberta Health Services describes advance care planning as thinking about, talking about, and documenting wishes for health care if a person becomes unable to consent to or refuse care. MyHealth Alberta provides current public planning information and links to related official resources.
This page is a general navigation starting point only. It does not tell a person what wishes, care, document, decision-maker, or next step is right for their circumstances.
Keep personal-directive questions with official or legal sources
Alberta.ca describes a personal directive as a legal document that can name someone to make personal decisions if a person cannot make those decisions. Use Alberta.ca’s current information, forms, and registry guidance directly for this process.
AlbertaMD does not provide legal advice, choose an agent, prepare, sign, witness, register, store, or interpret a personal directive, or determine whether someone has capacity. Use the official Alberta source and qualified legal support where appropriate for individual legal questions.
Discuss goals of care with the healthcare team
MyHealth Alberta describes goals-of-care designations as healthcare-provider designations that communicate the general aims of care and preferred location of care. Official information explains that these conversations develop over time with the person, family or loved ones, and the healthcare team.
AlbertaMD does not determine a goals-of-care designation, make a medical order, recommend a level of intervention, or replace a conversation with the responsible healthcare team. Use the official resources and current care team for questions connected to an individual health situation.
Use emergency care when an emergency may be happening
If someone has severe, rapidly worsening, or possible emergency symptoms, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. Do not wait for planning materials, a general website response, or an AlbertaMD callback request.
This page does not assess symptoms, determine urgency, diagnose a condition, recommend treatment, create a legal document, determine capacity, or make a care decision. Use official resources and the person’s own healthcare or legal professionals for information that fits the situation.
Common patient questions.
These answers explain the current information and review process.
Where can I find official Alberta advance-care-planning information?
Use Alberta Health Services and MyHealth Alberta’s current advance-care-planning information. These official resources explain the public process and link to related services; this page does not advise on an individual decision, care plan, or document.
Can AlbertaMD help me make or interpret a personal directive?
No. AlbertaMD does not give legal advice, choose an agent, prepare, sign, witness, register, store, or interpret a personal directive, or determine capacity. Use Alberta.ca’s current personal-directive information and qualified legal support where appropriate.
Can AlbertaMD decide a goals-of-care designation?
No. AlbertaMD does not determine a goals-of-care designation, make a medical order, recommend a level of intervention, or replace a conversation with the responsible healthcare team. Use the person’s current healthcare team and official Alberta information for an individual situation.
Continue with related Alberta guides.
These patient guides add context on virtual care, care navigation, and next-step preparation.
Learn more from Alberta resources.
These public resources offer additional context on virtual-care preparation, safety, and professional standards.
Official advance-care-planning information
Use official planning resources, not a callback request.
Use the official Alberta resources on this page for current advance-care-planning information. For an emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. AlbertaMD does not give legal advice, prepare or interpret personal directives, assess capacity, determine goals of care, or promise a callback for advance-care planning.