Written by Dr. Sarah Kerr, PhD, The Centre for Sacred Deathcare https://sacreddeathcare.com/ When someone dies, the first thing to do is nothing. Don’t run out and call the nurse. Don’t pick up the phone. Take a deep breath and be present to the magnitude of the moment. There’s a grace to being at the bedside of someone you love as…
Upon death, life insurance provides a lump-sum payment, known as a death benefit, to the named beneficiary(s). Term life insurance generally covers a specific period of time, such as 10 or 20 years, while Permanent insurance, such as whole and universal life, provides lifetime coverage. It is generally not advisable to name your estate as the beneficiary of a life…
For as long as humans have been recording their history, death anxiety has been a pervasive theme. From Gilgamesh’s 4000-year-old laments over his own mortality, to recent attempts to preserve one’s body using cryogenics (an effort not dissimilar in its goal to the ancient Egyptian practice of mummification), our species has grappled with our own impermanence in myriad ways. Themes…
“The work of the mature person is to carry grief in one hand and gratitude in the other and to be stretched large by them. How much sorrow can I hold? That’s how much gratitude I can give. If I carry only grief, I’ll bend toward cynicism and despair. If I have only gratitude, I’ll become saccharine and won’t develop…
Many of us imagine we can rely on the medical system when we or our loved ones lose their independence and approach end-of-life. This is a common misunderstanding. Although receiving care when we need it is ideal, there simply aren’t enough long-term care facilities or hospice units in our area for this to be likely to happen. The Campbell River…
In end-of-life planning, there are two main taxes to consider; probate tax and personal income tax. Probate, the subject of a previous article, is a court certification process which requires a list of your assets and their estimated value. The probate tax on estates with a value greater than $50,000 is currently 1.4% of this total value. Personal income tax is paid on your final…
When thinking ahead to their own funeral service, a significant number of people choose “No Flowers, No Funeral, No Fuss”. By requesting no service, you may believe you are sparing your family unnecessary heartache, effort, and expense. You may know people whose lives are already crammed with too many activities, worries, and deadlines, or relatives who will feel obliged to…
Reena Lazar, co-founder of Willow End-of-Life Education and Planning, writes that although death is the one thing in life we’re certain of, most people do everything in their power to avoid thinking about, talking about, let alone preparing for it. The vast majority of people don’t have any documents in place, because they live in a state of death denial,…
Many people are not aware that in British Columbia it is legal to care for a body at home. Family and friends are allowed to sit with, wash, dress, and otherwise tend to the body. They can build a casket, make funeral arrangements, and provide transportation to the cemetery or crematorium. There is no legal requirement to use the services…
Adults with an advancing illness, increasing frailty, or a chronic condition that is life limiting or life threatening may say they’d like ‘no heroic measures’. What does this mean? We always have the right to consent to or refuse health care treatment. However, a situation may arise when we are unable to speak for ourselves. Advance Care Planning is about…