When you are older, you can often feel like death is around the corner. When you die, there can be two results. Either your family and loved ones will be scrambling around trying to handle the mess you left behind, or you can have them calmly following your wishes. End-of-life planning takes away much of the problems that your death will cause and allow those who love you to say farewell with no worries.
Have a Plan for Your Final Illness
Unless your death is very sudden, you will need contingencies ready for when you are incapacitated or ill. Two things are important here: a living will and a power of attorney.
Your living will is mostly about how you will be treated in your final days. This includes a medical power of attorney so that someone can make decisions on your medical treatment. Besides that, a living will tells your doctors how far they can go to save your life. If you prefer to pass on quickly, then a do-not-resuscitate order can be part of your living will. Additionally, you will need to designate if your body can be used for organ donation with this living will.
The other thing you need is an attorney. Outside of your hospital room, the world goes on. If business decisions need to get made or something similar, the person you designate with your power of attorney will be the one to decide on it. This is why it is essential that you pick the right person for the job. Both of these will require two witnesses and your signature to ensure that they are followed and declared legal.
Outline Your Funeral
This is more of an informal document, but funeral plans are becoming popular. Just contact a local funeral home, and then you can arrange a plan for your funeral. It can have all the touches that you want, like where the wake will be and how your body will be disposed of. Your loved ones might be able to embellish it a bit, but they’ll most likely go with the flow since it is a weight off their shoulders. Finally, you can pay for it so that your loved ones don’t have to.
Plan Your Estate
The most important thing that will happen after your death is to deal with your estate. A last will is important since it helps your loved ones avoid probate court. Have a complete list of your assets and decide on how you want to distribute it. You can even do them a favor and consider inheritance tax planning. If you do it properly, then you can assure that your heirs aren’t facing a significant tax burden. You should also try to pay off any debts and liabilities before you die to remove an additional source of worry.
Your death will be a hard time for your loved ones. With the tips above, you can make it much easier for them since they will have fewer worries. Leave them this final gift before you go on to the great beyond.
