June 2026: We had exciting news: the 16-page Kokua Mau booklet “A Guide to Advance Care Planning: Making Life Decisions” will be re-printed. (Note: as of Oct. 5 printed copies are not available yet.)
With updated wording, the new booklet reflects 2026 changes including the Hawaiʻi Med-QUEST Community Palliative Care Services Benefit. It also has updated information on hospital and community based palliative care programs and updated phone numbers.
This 16-page booklet “A Guide to Advance Care Planning: Making Life Decisions” by Kōkua Mau is designed to help you make informed advance care planning decisions for when you are seriously ill. Many of the ideas and terms explained in this booklet might be new to you but are very common in medical settings and are important for you to know.
Although modern medicine helps many people lead longer and healthier lives, it has limits. Many of us may fear that medical technology could help us to live longer but leave us dependent on others, in pain, and unable to think or make decisions for ourselves.
This booklet list resources and organizations (with phone numbers) you can call. In this booklet you will find answers in plain English about subjects hard to talk about or to address. It talks about questions you and you loved ones might have such as:
- Promoting Better Communication and Shared Decision-Making
- What is Palliative Care?
- What is Hospice Care?
- What is Comfort Care?
- Medical Conditions Associated with Serious Illness
- What is CPR?
- What is Mechanical Ventilation?
- What is Artificial Nutrition and Hydration?
- Other Life-prolonging Treatments
Download Options for the 16-page document
These PDF files are optimized to be read on the computer, phone and tablet screen:
- 2 per page (8-page document, formatted to read on the computer screen, with page 1 & 2, 3 & 4, etc.)
- One per page Easier to read on handheld devices. (Formatted for maximizing screen real estate use, not formatted for printing on 8.5 by 11).
- 2 per page optimized for printing (larger file size 6 MB). Please note: this is still a file with pages 1 & 2, 3 & 4, just with a higher resolution. This file is not formatted to print as a double sided booklet.
This has been a collaborative effort and we thank everyone, especially the Advance Care Planning committee and other volunteers who has contributed their expertise and helped to finish it up.
Printing in 2026 is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) under the Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (U1QHP28729), University of Hawaiʻi.
To date, over 70,000 copies of the booklet have been distributed across the state.