Death is an inevitable part of life. We all know it, but we often don’t want to think about it. But, for the sake of our loved ones, it’s best to plan ahead.
The average funeral is filled with decision after decision. For perspective, the FTC’s official funeral end-of-life planning checklist has over 25 different options on it. That doesn’t even include other basics, such as pallbearers, floral arrangements, and so much more.
To spare your grieving loved ones any unnecessary stress, creating an end-of-life plan is a smart thing to do. No matter what stage of life you’re in, it’s never too early to be prepared.
But what are some of the things you should account for in your end-of-life plan? We’ve got some helpful tips to help you make sure you’ve got everything covered.
Read on for your complete end-of-life planning checklist.
Why Create an End-of-Life Plan?
You might be thinking, “I’m in perfectly good health. Why do I need to think about my end-of-life planning now?” Well, it’s better to be prepared than to not be prepared.
Plus, it will give you a little peace of mind. No matter what happens, you’ll know your loved ones are covered.
We’re not just talking about funeral arrangements, either. Let’s say you have a medical emergency and you cannot make your own medical decisions. Your loved ones will be left scrambling to decide what you would prefer.
Wouldn’t it be easier for everyone if you had everything determined beforehand?
An end-of-life planning checklist doesn’t have to be a grim topic. Instead, view it as your personal emergency plan. Think of it this way: we still have fire evacuation plans, even if our building isn’t in flames.
Preparedness is the best way to handle all aspects of your life; this includes your death as well.
Your End-of-Life Planning Checklist
We’ve briefly touched on some of the things that go into an end-of-life planning checklist, but let’s get down to specifics. Here is your complete list of what to consider for your end-of-life plan.
Specifying Medical Arrangements
An important item on your end-of-life planning checklist is your medical arrangements, even those that can happen while you’re still alive.
Living Will, or Advance Directive
First of all, you’ll need a living will that contains your treatment wishes when you’re still alive. For example, you might specify that you don’t want to be put on life support. You should also include whether you’d like to become an organ donor if you pass away.
Your Healthcare Proxy
Next, you’ll need to determine who has power of attorney to carry out your wishes. You might choose your spouse or significant other, or you can choose a close family member. This person is known as your “healthcare proxy.”
Here are a few decisions your healthcare proxy could make on your behalf:
- Moving you to different hospitals or other healthcare facilities
- Whether to put you on life support
- Important medical care choices such as surgery and tests
- Applying for Medicare/Medicaid and other benefits
- Opening legal cases to ensure your desires are followed
No marital or blood relation is necessary for your healthcare proxy: just make sure you are choosing a person who knows you well. Also, be sure that they agree to fill that role for you.
Planning Your Estate
Another key part of your end-of-life planning checklist is your plan for your estate. In other words, how will you disperse your assets? Be sure to itemize specifics, such as bank accounts, properties, and investments.
If you don’t have many assets, you can create a basic plan that includes important details like your advance directive, your healthcare proxy, and your beneficiary(ies).
For more complex cases, you should consider consulting with an attorney who offers estate planning services. They can help you finalize important details such as designating guardians for children, planning for multiple generations, and setting up trust funds.
Specifying Your Funeral Wishes
You can create a pre-plan for your funeral at any funeral home you like. Just meet with the director and tell them you’d like to set up a pre-plan. Then, they can store the information for you and make the funeral process easier on your loved ones.
Some important things to consider are things like:
- Open or closed casket
- What you would like done with your remains, such as burial, cremation, or alternative methods
- Your choice of casket
- Cemetery arrangements (if you choose to be buried), such as the location, your headstone, and whether you desire multiple plots
As for small details, you can get as specific as you like. Here are a few examples:
- Who will speak
- Who will read/deliver eulogies
- Type of service you want
- Who will be your pallbearers
- What flowers you want
- Anything you want read/spoken
- Music for your funeral
- What you wish to be wearing
By specifying all your details with your funeral home of choice, you’re sparing your loved ones from having to face a maze of decisions when they’re already grieving. Once you fulfill this step in your end-of-life planning checklist, you can rest assured that your funeral won’t be one more stress that they have to face.
Informing Your Loved Ones
A crucial part of your end-of-life planning checklist is keeping your loved ones in the loop. Don’t get too many family members involved, just inform those who are closest to you.
Keep Your End-of-Life Plan Updated
Once you’ve used this end-of-life planning checklist to create your individual plan, be sure you keep it up-to-date if anything changes in your future. For example, if you have children, acquire new assets, get married/divorced, or move into a new home, these are all occasions that should be accounted for.
Start Working on Your End-of-Life Plan Today
Death isn’t a topic that any of us like to think about, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to prepare for it. By arranging the specifics yourself, you can spare your loved ones a lot of stress in case the unthinkable happens. Now that you have your end-of-life planning checklist, you can start working on your plan now.
For more topics, see our other blog entries.
