End-of-Life Planning and Support

Without Terminal Illness 

It’s never too early to start planning for your end of life ---even if you are very healthy or young. Many people are caught off guard when faced with a terminal diagnosis or the sudden death of a loved one, and wish they were more prepared.

No matter how little or long the dying process takes, and no matter how it happens, the end of life for you or a loved one will be a time of great change. Discussing key issues in advance related to illness, aging, dying, and death, and getting important paperwork in order now, will help to reduce your stress when the end of life comes. You and your loved ones will have more space to be present with each other and will be better able to process important feelings related to loss. Having death positive conversations with Cindie will increase your awareness around end of life issues and help to reduce your anxiety.

Here are some of the topics you might consider exploring or completing with Cindie as she helps you mentally prepare and organize your paperwork,

• Understand and complete your advance health care directives. Encourage your family members and friends to do the same. If you are a parent of children 18 years and older, make sure they have advance directives in place, as you will no longer have the authority to make medical decisions on their behalf, should they be unable to do so for themselves.
• Learn the general differences between a will and a trust, how to best complete them, and why it’s important to have one or the other in place.
• Explore esoteric topics, such as the ones below, that may help to improve your personal perspectives and the quality of your life experience. Many people get to the end of their life and all of the sudden ask these questions with little time to discover answers and make adjustments:
• Who are you?
• What is your purpose?
• What is the deeper meaning of life on earth?
• How do you want to die?
• What do you think happens after you die?
• How do you want to be remembered?
• Develop a plan to reconcile situations that will not only help you feel more at peace now, but also at the very end of your life when serenity is the most sought after feeling. Here are some of the typical issues people struggle with at the end, and regret they did not tend to sooner:
• Repairing a severed relationship
• Forgiving self or another
• Soothing an emotional disturbance
• Tending to a disordered practical matter

These sessions may be scheduled in-person or via a phone/zoom call.