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Planning ahead together involves you talking with the person you care for about what they want and don’t want in terms of their future care, final days, and after death. Planning ahead involves recording their wishes, so you, the wider family, and health and social care professionals know what to do in the future. Questions that you might want to think about with the person you care for include: Where do they want to be looked after in the future? Where would they like to be looked after in their final days? What cultural or spiritual needs would they like to be taken into account for example religious practices, particular foods to avoid? Is there anything important to their identity for example preferred name and pronouns, certain preferred clothes? Who do they want to spend time with and doing what in the future? What would be their wishes about their care…

Organs can only be donated if the person you care for dies in hospital, usually in intensive care where the blood can be kept circulating. However, tissue (such as bone, skin, heart valves, corneas, and many others) can be donated up to 48 hours after a death which does not necessarily occur… or are in one of the excluded groups. If the person you care for does not want to be an organ donor they will need to opt-out by registering a ‘refuse to donate’ decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register and by sharing their decision with you. It’s important they tell you what they want, as the family of a potential donor will still be approached to discuss the option of organ and tissue donation. They can also express their wishes by including them in an advance care plan. The new law does not apply to anyone under 18, people who lack mental capacity to understand the new arrangements, those who…

The person you care for may have lost their ability to make their own decisions about their health and care and/or they may be unable to manage their property and financial affairs (see Mental capacity ). The person you care for may have already planned for a time when they cannot make… the person you care for circumstances and finances by completing a number of different forms. Once the forms are submitted the Court will assess and decide on your suitability to be a deputy based on the information you have provided. The person you care for will be notified as will any significant others in their family. It is possible to make an emergency application where a person’s life expectancy is very short or to execute a will. You can also make such an application if the person you care for needs urgent medical treatment or you want to prevent them from being removed from the place where…

be more than one beneficiary, like a whole family or a group of people. They may benefit from the income of the trust only, or the capital only when reaching a certain age, or both the income and capital of the trust. Things to think about The person you care for may wish to consider setting up…

as a family. Consider who might be best, for example, a professional involved in the dying person’s care who is from the primary health care team or hospice, or perhaps an advisor from a local voluntary organisation such as Action for Carers Surrey . …

A person with a learning disability may need support to talk about death and dying or to make important decisions around their own end of life care. They may need additional help, specific to their communication needs, to ask questions and to make sure their wishes and preferences are recorded. ​A person with a learning disability in your family may also be involved in providing end of life care. Marie Curie has developed a number of easy read booklets that will help a person with a learning disability talk about death and provide support to someone with a terminal illness. For more information about talking with people with learning disabilities and end of life planning Professor Irene Tuffrey-Wijne talks further at Tuffrey-Wijne . …

Here grief is explored, as well as how you might be feeling and the importance of looking after yourself. How to support others in the family and deal with a sudden death is also covered. Grief is a normal reaction to losing a loved one, and there is no right or wrong way to grieve. You also sh…

It is very important that you take care of yourself while grieving. A crucial way of doing this is to allow yourself to talk about the person you cared for and how you are feeling. Think about whom you feel most comfortable talking to, for example, a close friend, another family member, a faith leader, a health or social care professional, or a support organisation. There is a useful list of do's and don'ts in terms of looking after your own emotional wellbeing . Don't ignore your physical wellbeing. You may not feel like eating in the early stages of grieving, or you may not feel like cooking and just want to eat ‘comfort' foods. This is quite normal. Try and remember that you need to try and eat as healthily as you can and that there's lots of information around to help you with this. You may have problems sleeping , in which case talk to your GP. You can also try exercising…

Accidentally or intentionally, it can also come about as a result of long-term drug and alcohol use. There are particular issues that may arise for you which make coping with grief all the more challenging: If the addiction was known to you before the death, this may have led to a strained or…

Death by suicide is particularly distressing for relatives for the following reasons: It is hard to take on board the level of despair and hopelessness that led to the person you cared for killing themselves. Maybe you feel you ought to have ‘spotted the signs' and feel guilty you didn't do…