24 TREATMENT PLANS /// CHAPTER16 Who's The Boss? Do You Get to Make Decisions? For those of you 18 and older: you are recognized by the law and the hospitals as an adult and can have complete control over your treatment decisions. You can also decide who can know about your medical treatment. Depending on your age and medical experience, this may be the first time for you! You will be responsible for signing consents for treatments and procedures. It is likely that you will be called directly to schedule appointments. For some, your parents may have swooped in to help. Some of you will be happy to rely on your parents for guidance. But others may be annoyed because you've been used to making your own calls for years. Some of you, on the other hand, may not have much family and this can feel like an overwhelming and isolating time. For those of you under 18: Even if you aren't signing all the paperwork, you have the right to be involved in the decisions made about your care and treatment. In fact, you will sometimes be asked to sign " assent " forms that give you the opportunity to voice your agreement with the plan. You always have a right to speak to your medical team privately and ask for confidentiality, which the provider can only break if your health is at risk. If you and your parents are having serious disagreements about the treatment decisions, most hospitals have an Ethics team who can help advocate for your voice. Some parents find it hard to let go sometimes and you might start to feel that they are interfering when you don't want them to. See the section on " Relationships - Parents " for tips on how to manage this. Your parents only want what's best for you, but you have to be open with them about what you want.https://fwaya.org/