- Prepare a will that reflects my current wishes, including the name(s) of guardians for any minor children.
- Prepare a durable financial power of attorney—to delegate authority over my financial matters to a trusted friend or family member.
- Prepare a living will to ensure that when I approach the end of my life, I will receive the kind of medical treatment I would wish and may also relieve my loved ones of some difficult decisions.
- Prepare a durable power of attorney for health care—to delegate authority over my health care to a trusted friend or family member.
- Pre-select a hospice agency should I develop a life-limiting condition.
- Arrange for the disposition of my body after death, with or without a funeral director; organ donation or donation of my body to science; and, if applicable, a grave location. (This information might be shared with the memorial or pastoral care committee of my meeting.)
- Share with my meeting’s memorial or pastoral care committee any special wishes I have for my memorial meeting for worship.
- Assemble records and documents such as:
- A list of information needed to complete my death certificate.
- A current list of my assets, related contact information and account numbers, including usernames and passwords, as needed; the location of any safety deposit box and key—(The executor of my estate will need this information.)
- Biographical information for my obituary.
- A list of names and phone numbers of people, organizations, utility companies and my post office to be notified of my death.
- Give a copy of the items in “h.” above to a family member, friend or your attorney.
- The items on the list in “h.” will need to be reviewed and updated periodically as laws, forms and requirements for documents and procedures change. Additional help can be obtained from the yearly meeting’s Care and Aging Coordinator and from Quaker Aging Resources (quakeragingresources.org), a collaborative project of Philadelphia and New York yearly meetings.
