Death isn’t an easy subject to discuss. Harder still is talking in detail about death and end of life care. You’re asking your loved ones to imagine scenarios in which you or them are very ill or dead - not an easy thing to do. You should talk about end of life wishes, however; there are a number of advantages for you, your family, and society at large.
Difficult though it may be, it’s important to imagine scenarios in which you’re incapacitated and incapable of making decisions about your medical care. These circumstances can cause undue grief among family members. What’s more, they cause stress on the medical system as staff become uncertain of what type of care you should be receiving.
This problem can be solved through a document known as a living will or health care directive. You can use these documents to assign someone to make medical decisions for you if you’re incapacitated. You can also use these documents to give specific instructions about what kind of care you want - stopping medical treatment, donating organs, and other important medical decisions that may be difficult for your family to make.
You can find more information about Manitoba Health Care Directives here. Note that in other provinces, the regulations surrounding health care directives may be different. Talking about health care directives is essential - you need your family to know your wishes, and to know that the directive exists. Consider encouraging your family members, young and old, to look into directives. As devastating as it may be to think about, death can happen at any time and preparation can save much unnecessary grief.
Talking about your will while you’re alive can seem a bit taboo in some circles, but it’s important. Having a frank discussion about what you intend to give to whom can give family members an opportunity to express their wishes to you, and yours to them. This can help you avoid conflicts that you couldn’t solve; conflicts that would only occur after you passed away.
Everyone has ideas for how they’d like their funeral to unfold. Friends and family probably have ideas about what you’d like for your funeral, too. Talking together about the things that are important to you can make funeral planning a bit easier. You can talk about all kinds of things, from where you’d like to be buried to what kind of flowers you’d like to have at the service. Your favourite music, whether you want to be cremated or buried, and a whole host of other decisions can be discussed.
One of the things you’ll want to talk about is the place you’ll want your funeral to be held. We offer funeral services in Sainte Rose du Lac Manitoba. Pre-planning your funeral has another significant advantage; you can look at multiple funeral homes and find the one that’s right for you. Don’t hesitate to ask them about the services they offer, their experience in the industry, and estimated costs. You can even prepay for funerals, which can relieve financial burden on your family in a time of uncertainty.
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