What is an end of life guide?

An end of life guide is a nonmedical support person who can help you navigate the end of life process. 

Here are some of the types of services an end of life guide provides:

• Compiling all of the necessary end of life documents and storing them in a safe place, physically or digitally, and communicating the location to the appropriate people.

• Setting up a password manager so any loved ones can gain access to password-protected accounts quickly and easily.

• Talking through and helping create any legacy projects. 

  • These are projects that memorialize how you want to be remembered after death, and can be as simple as compiling a photo album or folder of videos to share with children and grandchildren, or as elaborate as a play where we get community performers to act out important scenes from your life. Get as creative as you want!

• Helping you talk through and process fears of your mortality.

• Vigil planning.

  • A vigil refers to the period when a person is actively dying and often involves having someone sit at the bedside around the clock to witness the dying person’s last moments. This can be tiring for any caretakers and it really helps to have a plan. The plan can include details like playing your favorite music or making sure that when people walk in the room they take their shoes off or speak quietly.

• Coordinating with funeral homes, crematories, and cemeteries once a death occurs.

• Referring your loved ones to grief counselors and assisting with the grief process as much as possible.

• Providing a calm and experienced presence throughout the entire process.

This is a non-exhaustive list. There may be things you need help with that you or I cannot anticipate, such as going through a box to find important documents, and I can help with those things as well.

If you would like to schedule a free 30-minute consultation, please use the calendar below to find a time!