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How do I become my own healthcare advocate?
- Know yourself first.
Reflect on your values, your current health status and goals,
and how you define quality in your life.
- Learn about the
healthcare choices you have. Lane County has a wide variety
of traditional allopathic and complementary healers.
- Find out about
the healthcare delivery system. Visits to a hospital, nursing
home, hospice, or practitioner’s office are all very different
experiences and require preparation.
- Talk with experts.
You’ll find a wide variety of opinions and will have to
sort out what is best for you.
- Document your
wishes with an advance
directive.
- Inform your family
and healthcare team about the advanced care planning you have
done.
- Be prepared to
work with health professionals so that they know your wishes.
- Ensure that everyone
involved in your healthcare can respect the decisions you’ve
made for yourself. (Return to list)
Getting to know your self
It’s not easy to find the
time and energy to think seriously about the end-of-life care
we may need. It means facing our own mortality, which is hard
for most of us to do. There are significant benefits in planning
ahead, rather than during a health crisis. Knowing what you
want, and being able to use the healthcare system wisely,
will help you get the healthcare you want. Planning ahead
is also a gift to anyone who may have to make healthcare decisions
on your behalf. They will know they are advocating for the
choices you have made.
Completing a values inventory will be different for everyone.
Documenting your current health, your view of the future,
goals you have in life, what makes life worth living, healthcare
preferences, treatments you would want at the end of life,
and other preferences you have for your care would be important
topics to consider. (Return to list)
Talking, talking, talking
Once you have an understanding
of your wishes for healthcare, it’s important to tell
others. Start by having a discussion with your healthcare
provider. Share with them your choices for healthcare, and
share any advance directives you have created.
Whenever you have a question
about your health care, ask your doctor or practitioner to
explain what is being recommended. Ask to hear about the risks,
benefits, and alternatives. Only by having all this information
can you make a truly informed decision.
Make sure your doctor or practitioner
can honor your wishes. Remember, too, that your wishes can
change over time and you may want to have future discussions
as your life circumstances change.
It also is important to talk with friends, family, and anyone
else you want to have make decisions for you should you not
be able to speak for yourself. Make sure your wishes are understood
by all who need to know. Ensure that a bond of trust exists
and that your wishes will be honored. (Return
to list)
For more information
We suggest you contact the Partnership
for Caring
200 Varick Street
New York, NY 10014-4810
Telephone: 1-800-989-WILL
(Return to list)
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