We were so relieved to find my mother-in-law had set up her will and estate before she died. The three brothers did not get along, so this made everything clear and left very little for them to debate.

Although planning for what happens after a death may be a very difficult topic of conversation, it may also be helpful for both the person who is ill and the family to have these discussions earlier rather than later. Similar to establishing the goals of care, knowing a person’s specific requests for a service or funeral and understanding their final wishes for their belongings and estate can help ease the stress for families after the death has occurred.

Often families are both physically and emotionally exhausted during an illness and leading up to the death. Having the final wishes planned and in place can help relieve some of the burden for the family.