ERC5 Senior Alliance Team Encourages Adults to Complete Health Care Proxy Forms During Honoring Choices MA Spring Celebration

LUDLOW, Mass. — The ERC5 Senior Alliance Team is encouraging health care providers, community partners, residents, patients, and families across Massachusetts to take part in an important statewide effort to ensure every adult has access to a Health Care Proxy and Personal Directive resources.

Through a partnership among the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Honoring Choices Massachusetts, and the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association, free multilingual Health Care Proxy and Personal Directive forms are available to adults age 18 and older. These resources are designed to help individuals identify a trusted person to make health care decisions if they are unable to speak for themselves and to communicate care preferences clearly before an emergency occurs.

A Health Care Proxy helps ensure that medical care aligns with a person’s values and preferences. It can reduce stress for families, prevent delays in care, and avoid the need for a lengthy guardianship process when no legally designated decision-maker is in place.

“Having a Health Care Proxy is not only important for older adults; it matters for every adult,” said the ERC5 Senior Alliance Team. “In an emergency, each person deserves to have someone they trust who can understand, communicate, and advocate for their wishes.”

The Honoring Choices MA 13th Annual Health Care Decisions Spring Celebration, running April through June, offers an opportunity for health care and community organizations to share these resources broadly and support adults in completing a valid Health Care Proxy.

Available resources include a one-page consumer handout, “Who is Your Health Care Agent,” available in nine languages, as well as Health Care Proxy forms available in 17 languages, wallet cards available in seven languages, helpful instructional videos, and Personal Directive forms available in five languages.

Health care professionals and care team members are encouraged to discuss Health Care Proxy planning during routine patient interactions, including intake, annual wellness visits, discharge planning, care coordination, and community education. No specific training is required to help someone complete a Health Care Proxy, and free online training is available through Honoring Choices Massachusetts for those who would like additional guidance.

Organizations seeking support can also participate in the Simple Step Campaign, which provides no-cost campaign materials, multilingual planning documents, and a brief staff training to help teams confidently engage adults in these conversations.

The ERC5 Senior Alliance Team asks providers and community partners to share this information with residents, patients, families, and adults over the age of 18, and to make Health Care Proxy conversations a routine part of care and planning.

About the ERC5 Senior Alliance Team
The ERC5 Senior Alliance Team supports collaboration, education, and resource-sharing among organizations serving older adults, caregivers, health care providers, and community partners.

Media Contact:
ERC5 Senior Alliance Team
Grace Barone
Executive Director
ERC5 Town Chamber of Commerce
gbarone@erc5.com
413-575-7230