There have been many national-level initiatives carried out over the years to spark the conversation on dying well. Today, younger Singaporeans are less hesitant to talk about their own deaths. People have begun to think about, and even prepare for their deaths. They do this by drawing their wills, making their end-of-life wishes known, either through casual conversations with family or in planned discussions with healthcare providers. Anecdotally, more see value in selecting a funeral director and even prepaying for their funeral services This gives people more say their end-of-life care and pre-planning and even helps family members feel less helpless when loved ones die.
With more acceptance and better understanding, planning for your end of life journey does not have to be a single-handed task of your own undertaking. Involving family and friends also helps them become familiar with your wishes and gives everyone the opportunity to clarify with you your instructions for them. Preparation takes many forms, including financially as you plan a legacy for your family, physically should your health decline so they will know to carry out your wishes if you are unable to talk or express your thoughts and mentally as you reduce the number of unknown factors around your death and lower stress levels all around.
To help you and your family navigate this journey with more ease, here are some checklists to help you take stock of the tasks to be handled and decisions that should be made at each significant milestone.
Checklists for pre-death
These checklists and resources contain useful tips and links for individuals and family members who have loved ones facing terminal illness.
Checklist at death
Check list for post death