Voices of Experience: What You Want Your Loved Ones To Know When You Die

Rusty Rosman spent years helping her parents and her in-laws as they aged. Over the years, Rusty saw many of their friends and their families conflicted over final arrangements and family confrontations. After making sure the parents updated their estate planning, Rusty encouraged them to write out their final wishes for their funerals, mourning period and then, what they wanted done with their belongings that weren’t covered in their legal documents. Rusty is one of four children. Having her parents put their wishes in writing made the heartbreaking experience of a parent’s death much easier for all four of them to navigate—because they had their parents’ wishes in writing. From that experience, Two Envelopes:What You Want Your Loved Ones To Know When You Die was born. 

Here Rusty encourages us to convey our final wishes to family and loved ones by preparing our own two envelopes:

Understanding and Managing Grief & Pet Loss, July 17 - July 23, 2022

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

The dying process usually starts well before death actually occurs. Learn how to recognize the signs of approaching death from one month to one day. The End of Life Stages Timeline: What to Expect « VeryWellHealth

Caregiving and Hospice, August 16 - August 22, 2015

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

The Lies of Hospice Patients, http://j.mp/1MDdUAS « Pallimed

5 ways to help loved ones adjust to Chronic Illness, http://j.mp/1Jatm4S « About Health

Choice and Control at the End of Life – The 3 Wishes Project, http://j.mp/1PoE8Gj « GeriPal

Caregiving and Hospice, December 21 - December 27, 2014

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Working With End of Life Requires Self Care, http://j.mp/1E4uAyV « Barbara Karnes Books, Inc.

Terrific piece! 'Hospice? I’m way better than that': The human touch of palliative care, http://j.mp/1GOZtFs « Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

When discussing cancer treatment, the approach matters, http://j.mp/1AM0Sci « Kevin MD

Caregiving and Hospice, November 30 - December 6, 2014

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Doctors Tell All—and It’s Bad, http://j.mp/1rYEgWB « The Atlantic

As Palliative Care’s Importance Grows, UCSF Nursing Expands Training, http://j.mp/1z5zkQj « UCSF

A New Way to Love: Spouses Become Caregivers as Alzheimer's Progresses, http://j.mp/1yUwaxQ « Deseret News

Caregiving and Hospice, October 19 - October 25, 2014

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Hospice Helps People LIVE the Best They Can, http://j.mp/1taeHQV « Moments Of Life

Brilliant. An Ebola parody that educates. Watch why it should go viral. http://j.mp/1wqGZJ4 « Kevin MD

How to Talk to Your Kids About Ebola, http://j.mp/1wqtRnh « TIME

Caregiving and Hospice, July 27 - August 2, 2014

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

What is Palliative Care? - Palliative Medicine and Treatment, http://j.mp/1kcTdAk « Get Palliative Care

Honoring Veterans at End of Life: Understanding Goes a Long Way,  http://j.mp/1oey489 « Caring with Confidence

What your friends with cancer want you to know (but are afraid to say),  http://j.mp/1pKr2Fg « Roadkill Goldfish

Caregiving and Hospice, June 16 - June 22, 2013

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Gifts of the Heart: A lovely documentary piece (15 minutes) on the benefits of hospice volunteering http://pinterest.com/pin/3307399699229766/ … « YouTube

A Search for Harmony, http://j.mp/11P9LhV « New York Times

New End-of-Life Measure Quietly Sweeps Nation: States Embrace POLSTs http://bit.ly/15mM96j « Stateline (Daily News Service of The Pew Charitable Trusts)

Amen! Palliative care has become the last bastion of health care sanity, http://j.mp/10AC2yI « Kevin MD

A Palliative Nurse Practitioner's lovely story: Dying a Hero's Death, http://j.mp/1awOe5r « Kevin MD

Caregiving and Hospice, May 26 - June 1, 2013

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

On prolonging life in an era of limited resources: Love & Let Die, http://j.mp/11ijQHW « WNYC

Lovely! Amy Goyer's take on the importance of family meals and her 89 yr old Dad saying grace, http://j.mp/11ITaC9 « YouTube

7 Tips to Help Beat Your Aging Parent's Loneliness, http://ow.ly/lzkfy « Forbes

What To Do When Displeased With Our Parent's Care,  http://ow.ly/lzEDh « AgingCare.com

Good tips to avoid family caregiving disputes, http://ow.ly/lxh6q « TimesUnion.com

Caregiving and Hospice, May 19 - May 25, 2013

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

How-to Use UNFRAZZLE to assist in caregiving: Articles and Videos, http://j.mp/11lWAdJ « Unfrazzle

Need Help Coping with Challenges of Caregiving? Tips from Fellow Caregivers, ow.ly/lotJp « Unfrazzle

Palliative care carries stigma that we've "given up" on the patient, http://j.mp/10Ya51m « ABC Gippsland

Talking with Families About Hospice Care, http://j.mp/14J25SM « AgingCare.com

Prepare for a good end of life: outstanding 6-minute video, http://j.mp/16bBjqm « TED Talks

Caregiving and Hospice, September 30 - October 6, 2012

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• Palliative care is not the same as hospice, http://ow.ly/earjG via @AHHCNC
  
  
• Hospice of the Valley nurse recognized for work in LGBT community, http://bit.ly/QvbHt6 via @hospicepharmacy
  
  
• Hospice Awareness Campaign launches in Nebraska, http://j.mp/UFPCIl
  
  
• Wisconsin men's end-of-life documentary makes waves, http://j.mp/QsgefO
  
  
• 9 Organizations Every Caregiver Should Know, http://j.mp/UEhSLo « Caring.com

Caregiving and Hospice, July 8 - July 14, 2012

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• Talking with ‪Families‬ About ‪Hospice‬ Care, http://bit.ly/Lpi7vo
  
  
• Hospice‬ chaplain says it's all about love, http://bit.ly/Mn2XmR
  
  
• Social Media Library on End of Life Care, http://bitly.com/OyFONh
  
  
• Why doctors don't have discussions about poor prognosis and why it matters, http://bit.ly/MkZ01V
  
  
• Lovely! Forgiving Forgetfulness,‬ http://j.mp/LbPYSx‬  | Soundscape ‪MusicTherapy