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You have an amazing amount of control over your health and your health care. To be an effective advocate for yourself and those you care about you need reliable and trustworthy information. Use these sites to learn about health issues and common treatments.

Health Care Advance Directives

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Every adult should have a health care advance directive. Here are some good ones:

  • The most consumer friendly and most comprehensive directive is made by an organization called Aging with Dignity. Their document, called The Five Wishes, covers physical, emotional, social and spiritual issues surrounding end of life decision making. The Five Wishes is legal in forty states and is available in English and Spanish. Go to www.agingwithdignity.org/5wishes.html
  •  Caring Connections is a part of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). Its mission is to improve care at the end of life. You will find downloadable advance directive forms for each state in the U.S. on this webpage: http://www.caringinfo.org/stateaddownload
 

Patient Advocacy Services

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Here is a link to a patient advocacy service:

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Web Sites

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Informed consumers need information!

For health information:
While being informed is important, putting the whole picture together often requires the experience and expertise of a medical professional.

Learn what you can then discuss and clarify your situation with your care providers.

Use the following web sites as starting points for your learning.

  1. National Institutes of Health: This site offers information on diseases, health, and much more. Look under “health info” at www.nih.gov
  2. Medline Plus: This web site is filled with health information. It is produced by the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. Information includes health and wellness topics, drugs and supplements, medical dictionary and encyclopedia along with current health news. Find them at www.medlineplus.com
  3. Lab Tests: Find out about the lab tests your care provider has ordered. What do they mean? What tests are requested for certain health issues? Find out at www.labtestsonline.org
  4. Patient Advocate Foundation is a non-profit organization that seeks to safeguard patients and assure access to care, maintenance of employment and preservation of their financial stability relative to their diagnosis of life threatening or debilitating diseases. Find them at www.patientadvocate.org
  5. The American Chronic Pain Association. www.theacpa.org