Things to have in place before you die

Things we could all put in place to make it easier for our loved ones when we die

The death of a loved one is a challenging time. It can be made even more upsetting if your loved ones don’t have any idea of your plans and wishes.

Talking about some of the suggestions below can help to give them security and comfort. They will be content knowing your wishes have been fulfilled.

Below are our suggestions of what to do to make it easier for loved ones when we die. Do you have other ideas that we could share here to help others?

• Have you made a will? If yes, do your loved ones know where it is? If no, would they know your wishes? It’s important to have these conversations at any age.

• Funerals don’t have to be traditional nowadays. Talk to your loved ones or write down what you’d like. It’s comforting to those grieving to know what you want.

• Are your loved ones able to access a bank account to pay for any essentials or immediate bills? Do they know what money you have coming in and what bills you pay?

• It’s important your loved ones know who your insurers, electricity, gas and water providers are. Write it down and keep it somewhere they can find it.

• Would your family members be able to see your digital photos, videos, or even access social media accounts? These can become treasured possessions. So, think about who you want to access them and how.

• Do your loved ones know who you bank with and if you have investments do, they know where these are?

Can you put a list together of your direct debits and which bank accounts they come from? This can save your loved ones from a lot of stress at a difficult time.

Personal bank accounts are frozen when the bank has been notified of a death. This means that standing orders or direct debits being paid from the account will be stopped. This could also leave loved ones without access to any money.

• Digital pictures and videos probably aren’t the only things of value which you have online. The Digital Legacy Association gives you advice and support around these areas. They might even remind you of things you could have forgotten about such as cryptocurrencies (digital money) or blogs. The Digital Legacy Association even has a social media will template.

• Letting people know about important things such as who insures the house and car as well as the expiry dates are useful as these will have to all be changed.

• The ‘My Funeral Wishes’ form from Dying Matters and the National Association of Funeral Directors allows you to record and share your funeral wishes. It also helps you to think about what you might like.