Reimagining End-of-Life Planning

Hello mortals—and thank you for reading!

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Update

Many of you have asked me, “What’s next?” and as we continue our journey of exploring and embracing our mortality, I am thrilled to invite you to participate in a new initiative close to my heart. Drawing from my professional experience as a hospice director and death doula, as well as my personal journey through grief after losing my beloved mother, I am developing a course to help you (and your loved ones) contemplate and prepare for the end of life.

Why? Despite the critical role that advance directives and living wills play in ensuring our healthcare wishes are respected, only one in three U.S. adults has completed these documents. 

This is unfortunate but not surprising, given that talking about death remains a taboo in many cultures. The discomfort surrounding discussions about mortality often leads people to avoid these crucial conversations and decisions, leaving them unprepared for a crisis. 

Recognizing this barrier, I am committed to making the process and experience of crafting an end-of-life plan more manageable and more meaningful. By creating a supportive environment for open conversations, offering guided sessions, integrating rituals and reflections, and encouraging group participation, I aim to transform this once daunting task into an efficient but profoundly transformational experience. In doing so, I hope to help you live a more vibrant and meaningful life right now.

The Course

The course is meant to be a beginner’s guide to end-of-life planning, so if you know you need to do something but don’t know where to start, look no further. This is the perfect course for you.

End-of-life planning should not just be about making practical arrangements; it is a profound exercise in reflecting on what matters most to us and how we want to be remembered. 

Furthermore, it should not be done in isolation but rather discussed amongst our friends and family. To state the obvious, no one will know what you want or what to do if you don't share your end-of-life wishes and values.

I will help you answer the most critical questions about your end-of-life wishes, such as:

Who do you trust to make medical decisions if you can't speak for yourself?

What are your preferences for life-sustaining treatments?

Do you prefer cremation, burial, human composting, or another form of body disposition?

What personal messages or letters do you want to leave for your loved ones?

Who will have access to the passwords for your phone and email?

What should happen to your LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram accounts—deleted or memorialized?

Building Together

Death is the common thread between us, which makes your experiences and insights invaluable to this project. I would be deeply grateful for your participation in a brief survey. 

By sharing your thoughts on death and practical end-of-life matters, you will contribute to a collective wisdom that will shape the course and make it truly impactful. Each of us has a unique story and perspective on mortality. Whether you have faced the loss of a loved one, supported someone through their final days, or contemplated your own mortality, your experiences can provide profound insights for others on this journey. Your contributions will help ensure the course addresses our community's real needs and concerns, offering practical guidance and emotional support.

I look forward to hearing from you and building this meaningful project together. If this resonates with you, feel free to respond to this email.

Thank you for being part of this journey,

Maura

For more information about advance directives and living wills, read here.