Your Right To Make Your Own Decisions
by:
BEGINNING JULY 1, 2005, ALL LIVING WILL, DURABLE POWERS OF ATTORNEY (DPOA) AND ORGAN DONATION DESIGNATION FORMS WILL BE REPLACED BY THE WYOMING ADVANCE HEALTH CARE DIRECTIVE FORM.
IF YOU EXECUTED THESE DOCUMENTS BEFORE JULY 1, 2005, THEY ARE STILL VALID. BUT, TO AVOID COMPLICATIONS IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOU CONSIDER REPLACING THEM WITH THE WYOMING ADVANCE HEALTH CARE DIRECTIVE FORM.
REMEMBER: IF YOU CHOOSE TO REPLACE A LIVING WILL, DPOA OR ORGAN DONATION DESIGNATION DOCUMENT WITH THE WYOMING ADVANCE HEALTH CARE DIRECTIVE, PLEASE DESTROY THE OUT DATED MATERIAL TO AVOID CONFUSION.
What To Do When Your Sick or Facing Death
Your Right to Know
When it comes to your health care you have the right to choose to:
• Have a living will (also called Part 2 of the Wyoming Advance Health Care Directive). This lets you refuse life support.
• Appoint somebody to make health care choices for you if you can't do it yourself. This is done through a durable power of attorney or DPOA (also called Part 1 of the Wyoming Advance Health Care Directive).
• Let doctors know what to do if your heart or breathing stops.
• Refuse CPR or any treatment.
• Let doctors know what type of health care you want or don't want.
If you are on Medicaid or Medicare, your doctors must help you. Hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies, hospices and HMOs must give you facts on your health care rights. This is to help you make choices about what care you want or don't want.
If you are on Medicaid or Medicare, your doctors must ask if you have signed a living will, a DPOA, a Wyoming Advance Health Care Directive or a CPR Form. If you have, a copy of each will be placed in your file.
The things you say in these forms will only be used if you are too sick to make your choices known.
Special note: Doctors do not have to give any forms to you. If they want, they can give you forms, but they don't have to. They only have to tell you facts that may help you make choices. You may need to consult this Website or a lawyer for the right forms.
For More Information See:
[If Your Heart Stops]
[Living Wills]
[Planning for Illness or Death]
[Telling Others What You Want]
[If You Haven't Made Any Choices]
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