---
title: Help your family find your care wishes | Plan Before You Die
url: https://planbeforeyoudie.app/guides/health/healthcare-decisions-day
source: Plan Before You Die
---

# Help your family find your care wishes

National Healthcare Decisions Day is April 16. Use it as a prompt to check where your wishes are written and whether the people you choose can find them. You decide what to share and whom to include.

- Official sources
### Choose a time for the conversation

Use April 16 as a reminder, or choose a day that suits you. The Conversation Project manages National Healthcare Decisions Day to encourage advance care planning. You can begin with one practical question.

### Find the wishes you already wrote

Look for your existing health care papers and personal notes. Write where they are kept. If a document raises a legal question, ask a lawyer in your state. Ask your health professional about care questions.

### Check who knows where to look

Tell the people you chose where the papers and current medicine list are kept. Distinguish an original from a copy. You can explain the location without putting private health details on a card in a shared space.

### Write the locations on one card

Use the [fridge card](https://planbeforeyoudie.app/printables/fridge-card) to record the locations of your medicine list, [health care proxy](https://planbeforeyoudie.app/glossary#health-care-proxy) and contacts. Decide whether you want that card displayed or kept with your important papers.

### Share what matters in your own words

A [personal letter](https://planbeforeyoudie.app/tools/letter-starter) can help you put a conversation into your own words. It is not a will or a substitute for legal care documents. Share only the parts you want someone to know.

### Ask someone to find the right paper

Ask the person you chose to describe where they would look. If the answer involves guessing, clarify the instruction. You can do this without handing over an account or asking anyone to make a medical decision.

### Update the list when something changes

Revisit the locations when you move papers, change contacts or revise your wishes. Write the review date on your private copy. Tell the people you chose which version to use and where to find it.

## Good to know

### Is National Healthcare Decisions Day April 16?

Yes. The organizing source describes it as an annual initiative on April 16. You can use any day for your own conversation if that date does not suit your family.

### Who organizes the day?

The Conversation Project manages National Healthcare Decisions Day. Its official page explains the initiative and provides conversation resources. This website is not its organizer or a substitute for its guidance.

### Does this tell me which paper to sign?

No. This guide helps you locate and explain your existing wishes. Ask a lawyer in your state about legal documents and your health professional about care decisions. You remain the person choosing what to discuss.

### Must I discuss every care decision?

No. You can start by saying where your wishes and contacts are kept. Choose the pace and the people involved. Leave detailed care questions for a conversation with the relevant professional when you want one.

### Helping your mom or dad with this?

Ask whether they want to talk and whom they would like included. Let them describe what matters to them. A useful first check is finding the paper they already chose.

## What we checked

| Fact | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| National Healthcare Decisions Day is observed each year on April 16. | [The Conversation Project](https://theconversationproject.org/nhdd/) | Oct 15, 2026 |
| The Conversation Project manages National Healthcare Decisions Day. | [The Conversation Project](https://theconversationproject.org/nhdd/) | Oct 15, 2026 |
| National Healthcare Decisions Day encourages advance care planning. | [The Conversation Project](https://theconversationproject.org/nhdd/) | Oct 15, 2026 |

Facts approved by the [Plan Before You Die editor](https://planbeforeyoudie.app/editorial-policy).

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Something wrong here? Tell us.