Make provisions
for the settlement of all outward affairs while
in health, so that others may not be burdened and so that one
may be freed to live more fully in the Truth that shall stand
against all the entanglements, distractions, and confusions of
our times.
epistles
of yearly meetings of pennsylvania
and the jerseys, 1694 and 1695,
as paraphrased
by philadelphia yearly meeting faith & practice, 1997
While
they are free from unusual mental or physical pressures, adult
Friends of all ages are strongly urged to complete a Will and
Durable Powers of Attorney (for both financial and medical
concerns), and inform medical personnel and family of their
wishes. Friends should consider whether their financial situation
warrants additional measures such as a Living Trust. Wills, Powers
of Attorney, and Living Trusts should all be regularly reviewed,
and
immediately updated when changes are made. Couples who are not
legally married are at special risk and need to take special care
that
their legal papers reflect their wishes about end-of-life decisionmaking
and finances.
Meetings
can aid members by gathering information about hospice care, mortuaries,
and relevant legal issues such as organ
donations and the use of the body for scientific purposes. Many
Friends belong to memorial societies which contract for prompt,
simple and inexpensive disposition of the body, frequently through
cremation.
It is
useful for Meetings to maintain, along with Membership Records,
a record of members’ desires for the time of death,
including a list of persons to be notified. A suggested form for
this
purpose, Information and Instructions on Health Care Decisions
and
Final Affairs, is found in <Appendix
7>. Members should review
and update the information regularly.