End of life planning is the process of making arrangements for the final stages of your life. Plans can relate to medical, legal, financial and personal matters, all preparing for a time when you are no longer able to make decisions for yourself.
People often create advance directives or living wills, which outline their preferences for medical treatment and end of life care. Plans can cover medical interventions, resuscitation and also where you would like to be at the end of your life - home, hospice or hospital.
Legal considerations in end of life planning can involve making a will or setting up a trust. These documents often specify how your property and financial assets will be distributed after your death. A power of attorney appoints someone to make legal and financial decisions on your behalf if you become incapacitated.
Financial planning ensures that the correct beneficiaries are named on life insurance policies, pension accounts and investments. When you’re planning your finances for later life, you might also take into account long-term care options, including the potential cost of care and making arrangements for payment.
A pre-paid funeral plan can also form an important part of your end of life planning. It allows you to set out your wishes in advance. You can plan for the big and small aspects, from a burial or cremation to the music or readings you’d like on the day. A funeral plan also allows you to pay in advance, helping to remove financial pressures from those you leave behind.
Personal preferences
End of life planning allows you to lay out your personal preferences on everything from medical treatment to the music played during your funeral. It makes sure that even when we are no longer able to express our will, the decisions made can help to reflect wishes.
Planning ahead can also save families from having to make difficult decisions. Taking out a funeral plan protects your family when the time comes so that they don’t have to make any difficult decisions. The more clearly your preferences have been stated, the more reassurance your family can have that they are respecting your wishes.
From a financial and legal perspective, an up to date will that clearly designates beneficiaries can avoid legal complications and delays in the settlement of estates.
Planning your later life is personal, and can involve conversations with loved ones as well as professionals. The process creates opportunities to have honest discussions with friends and family about how you want to live the closing days of your life.
These conversations can help break down any awkwardness that can surround illness and death. When the time comes, having already had the conversation, family members can find it easier to face challenging times. A recent report shows that just 0.3% of people knew all of their loved ones funeral wishes. What’s even more surprising is that around half (49%) didn’t even know if their loved one wanted a burial or cremation.
Funeral planning
Talking about your funeral wishes can make the earliest days of a loss easier. By pre-planning your funeral, you remove much of the decision making that surrounds the organisation of a funeral. Leaving behind a clear plan not only removes some of the burden on your family, but also makes it easier for them to respect your wishes.
Overall, end of life planning gives people the power to make choices that align with their values, ease financial and emotional burdens on loved ones and provide security and peace of mind for yourself and your family.
