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Advance care planning (ACP) is the process by which patients, together with their physician and loved ones, establish preferences for future care. Because previous research has shown that relatives play a considerable role in end-of-life care decisions, it is important to understand how family members are involved in this process.

To gain understanding of the involvement of family members in ACP for older people near the end of life by exploring their views and experiences concerning this process.

This was a qualitative research study, done with semistructured interviews. Twenty-one family members were recruited from three geriatric settings in Flanders, Belgium. The data were analyzed using the constant comparative method as proposed by the grounded theory.

Family members took different positions in the ACP process depending on how much responsibility the family …