Once you turn 18, you should think about planning ahead for your health care. Anyone, no matter how old they are, can have an accident or get very sick and not be able to make decisions about their own health care. It is good to plan for your health care. Filling out your Advanced Directives lets you choose who will make health care decisions for you if you cannot.
Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care
Designate someone to speak for you if you can’t speak for yourself. This person will tell the doctors what you want. Choose someone who knows you well, understands your wishes for care, and you trust to make decisions for you.
What should you tell them about your wishes?
You need to tell the person you choose to speak for you what you want to happen. Here are some things to think about telling them:
- I DO or DO NOT want doctors to give me food and water through a tube if I might die soon or can’t wake up again.
- If I am very sick and there is no chance of getting better, I don’t want any procedures or treatments. This means I don’t want surgery, machines, or anything else that might be uncomfortable or cause me pain if it won’t help me get better.
- If I am so sick that I can’t talk or recognize my family, I DO NOT want any treatments to try and keep me alive. I DO want care to help me feel more comfortable.
Living Will
After you talk about your wishes with the person who will help make decisions for you, you might want to write them down. A living will is a document that says what you want to happen if you are very sick and can’t speak for yourself. It tells doctors and family members what kind of treatment you want or don’t want, like if you want to be kept alive with machines or if you want to be comfortable instead. It helps make sure your wishes are followed.
Outside the Hospital Do Not Resuscitate Order
When you are in the hospital, if your heart or breathing stops, doctors and nurses will try to help you by doing something called CPR
(Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation). Many people come to your room to try and help you breathe and get your heart going again. It can be a very stressful time, and some people decide they don’t want CPR done if that happens.
If you don’t want CPR in the hospital, your doctor needs to write an order saying so. This is called a “Do Not Resuscitate” (DNR) order.
But, if you are not in the hospital or a nursing home, Kansas has a law that lets you choose not to have CPR done. To do this, you need to fill out a special form called an Outside the Hospital Do Not Resuscitate form with your doctor.
You can get this form from the Social Services department at Clay County Medical Center; at any of the Rural Health Clinics; and from Meadowlark Hospice. Your doctor or other health care provider can explain this option to you and help you with the form.
Things To Think About
- Would you like to talk to your clergy (like a pastor or religious leader) to help you think about your choices and what they mean to you?
- Do you want to be an organ, tissue, or eye donor if it could help someone else feel better?
- Are there other health care wishes you want to talk about?
- Would you like to talk with the Meadowlark Hospice Team? They can give you information about care that helps you feel more comfortable, manage pain, and talk about other care choices. How to contact Meadowlark Hospice: Call Meadowlark Hospice at: 785-632-2225; Email us at: mhospice@ccmcks.org; Visit our website at: www.meadowlarkhospice.org
Advance Directives Forms
Advance Directives Forms are available on the Wichita Medical Research and Education Foundation website:
https://www.wichitamedicalresearch.org/advancedirectives