HMO Guide for Seniors - Office of the Patient Advocate - State of ...

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Making Your Wishes Known
T
here are things you can do now to give you more control
over your care in the future. This can prevent confusion,
worry, and disagreements among family members. Make
sure your doctor knows your wishes, too.
The California Advance Health Care Directive
Fill out an
Advance Health
Care Directive to
say what care you
want if you can’t
speak for yourself.
Your doctor and
your health care
agent must follow
your wishes.
This is a form that allows you to say what care you want or
do not want if you cannot make decisions for yourself.
For example, you can say whether you want to be put on a
respirator and how much pain relief you want.
You can name a person to act as your health care agent.
This person can make health care decisions for you if you
can no longer speak for yourself. Your health care agent is
also called your Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care.
To get a form, visit www.calhospital.org/publications or
www.finalchoices.org.
Courtesy of Tammy Wong