Advance care planning involves thinking about choices if the patient becomes sick, and is important for everyone. It does not matter if the patients are ill or healthy. It is especially important for people who have diseases that cannot be cured. It allows people to make sure their wishes are respected if they become very sick or are dying. Thinking about these issues can be upsetting. But, for many people, it is helpful. This type of discussion can help the family learn what the patient may want but cannot tell them when these decisions need to be made