How to Talk about Death with your Loved Ones

Often having a conversation with your loved ones about your “death plans” can be hard to initiate but here at Crystal we can offer some ideas on how you can help them to understand your reason for wanting that conversation. 

 

Choose the right moment 

It is often easier to speak about death when you have maybe recently had to deal with the loss of a family member or loved one. Rather than trying to start a conversation over dinner! There are many things to consider, be prepared with your choice of words, keep it simple and to the point ensuring you are listened to and choose the right time and place. 

Choose the right place 

A busy pub or restaurant is not the best place to try to explain your end-of-life wishes. At Crystal we recommend choosing a quiet place where you feel comfortable to ensure you are not going to be interrupted too. 

Choose the right words 

Being open and honest is important and straight talking can help. But it might help the conversation if you can soften your language, using metaphors or euphemisms in place of the words death and dying, such as, ‘when I’ve left’ or ‘when I’m no longer around’ 

Begin softly  

Talking about having your will made or where you have stored important documents is a good way to introduce the subject of your death without talking directly about dying. This will open up the conversation for you to go onto your funeral wishes and talk about a funeral plan with your loved ones. 

Be prepared 

It’s important to know what you want to say when you start a conversation about your end-of-life plans. Think about what you want for your funeral - do you want to be buried or cremated? What sort of service, if any, do you want? Your loved ones may have questions and thinking about what those might be and how you will answer will help you get the most out of the conversation. 

Be open  

You may have been thinking about this conversation for a while, but your loved ones probably haven’t, tell them your reasons for wanting the conversation this will help them understand more. 

 

If you need any support with this please give our friendly helpful team a call, or fill in the contact form and we'll take it from there. 

We offer not only low cost funeral plans but a free to access counselling service and an estate planning service that can support you in putting your affairs in order such as wills and lasting powers of attorney. Visit www.crystallifeplanning.co.uk