Dying to Know Day is recognised each year on 8 August, which serves as a timely reminder to ensure your affairs are in order.
Here are three steps that could apply to you and should be read as a guide only:
1. Documents: Take action to make your own decisions
Will
A legal document with instructions on who you want to inherit your estate, care for your children, and be the executor of your estate when you pass away.
Financial and Legal Matters
Authorise someone to make legal and financial decisions for you when you cannot. This could be because you may have lost the capacity to do so due to a serious illness or injury or you are overseas.
Enduring Guardian
An Enduring Guardian is the person you legally appoint to make decisions about your health and lifestyle in the event you cannot make these decisions for yourself.
Superannuation
Super is a way of saving for retirement. Your employer must pay a percentage of your earnings into your super account, and your super fund invests the money until you retire. Completing a Binding Death Nomination form will give you the best chance to give your superannuation to the person you want.
Advance Care Plan
Advance care planning documents: a record of your health care choices that can only come into effect if you lose the capacity to make decisions and communicate for yourself.
2. Conversations: You can choose one, two or three people (or more) to finalise your documentation. They should all understand your documents and commit to follow through with your wishes.
Executor
A person, or people, who I have asked to walk in my shoes after I die and carry out the wishes contained in my will.
An important role for one or more people who will implement the terms of my will after I die to ensure that my assets are distributed as I have requested.
Enduring Guardian
An Enduring Guardian is someone you appoint to make lifestyle and health decisions on your behalf when you don’t have the capacity to make them for yourself.
You decide the areas or ‘functions’ that you wish to give, which may include making decisions such as where you live, what services are provided to you at home, and what medical treatment you receive.
You can revoke the appointment and make another appointment at any time, provided you still have the capacity to make such decisions.
Substitute decision-maker
A trusted person whom I can choose to make health care or medical treatment decisions for me if I ever lose my decision-making capacity.
A person who will consider and honour what medical and health treatments are in my best interests and what I would want should I ever lose my decision-making capacity.
3. Prepare your send-off
Decisions associated with planning your funeral or other death rites are best made without the pain of grief immediately after death.
You might want to think about how to honour your cultural heritage, your family traditions, what you want as an event (or not) and how your family will want to remember the ceremony.
As with any milestone event, there are overwhelming choices to be made and costs to be considered, so we’d encourage you to inform yourself about the many options and record your decisions so that your rite of passage, whatever it is, will be a truly memorable one, without being overshadowed by the logistics of arranging the occasion at short notice.
Some of the choices you might want to consider:
Cremation or burial or something else
Your environmental footprint in death
A funeral home package or something more individualised
An event at home, in a park or outdoor setting (with permission) or in a place of worship
A party afterwards or no fuss.
