PO Box 1238, Crestone, CO 81131 | informedfinalchoices@gmail.com
Estate Planning: When it comes to making a will, your estate may be simple enough to bypass expensive legal fees and instead use an online site. One is called FreeWill, which begins the estate planning conversation with options around charitable giving. There are many online competitors, including Rocket Lawyer and LegalZoom, that offer services to create estate plans for little or no money. Some offer a lawyer to talk to free of charge. Read more here.
CaringBridge: Your free CaringBridge website has all the tools you need to keep your family and friends updated during a difficult time. A CaringBridge website provides all the information your family and friends need so they can give you all the support you need. See your story unfold as you post Journal entries and your site visitors respond with words of encouragement. Your home page incorporates a feed of Well Wishes and Journal comments, drawing your whole community closer in exchanging meaningful thoughts. CaringBridge is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in the USA, with all data hosted in the USA, providing support when it’s needed most. Since 1997, more than 740,000 CaringBridge websites have been created. One in thirteen people in the U.S. have used CaringBridge to rally support for a loved one during a health journey. https://www.caringbridge.org/
Aging with Dignity offers the 5 Wishes document that is changing the way America talks about and plans for care at the end of life. AWD is a national non-profit organization with a mission to affirm and safeguard the human dignity of individuals as they age and to promote better care for those near the end of life. The life and work of Mother Teresa of Calcutta served as the inspirational foundation of Aging with Dignity.
http://www.agingwithdignity.org (5 Wishes)
Caring Connections, a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), is a national consumer and community engagement initiative to improve care at the end of life. http://www.caringinfo.org
Compassion and Choices: Colorado has become the sixth state to allow terminally ill adults with six months or fewer to live and suffering unbearable the option to request, obtain and if they so choose, self-administer a prescription medicine to bring about a peaceful death. Compassion and Choices, the nationally based organization that works to implement this option in select states, is launching the Colorado Access Campaign to ensure that dying people who are suffering have access to the law. To learn more, visit Compassion and Choices and select Colorado Access for current information.
Docubank offers services for Immediate Access to your Healthcare Directives & Emergency Medical Information.
http://www.docubank.com
The Green Burial Council is an independent, tax-exempt, nonprofit organization working to encourage environmentally sustainable deathcare and the use of burial as a new means of protecting natural areas.
http://www.greenburialcouncil.org
GreenBurials.org was created to increase public awareness on green burials and other eco-friendly options.
http://www.greenburials.com
Guideline Publications produces quality booklets that are used in Funeral Home, Hospices, Churches and schools to educate and counsel individuals about the death process.
http://www.guidelinepub.com
National Home Funeral Alliance, www.homefuneralalliance.org, provides information on performing family-directed home funeKavod v’Nichum (Honor and Comfort) is a U.S. tax exempt educational non-profit organization that encourages and assists the organization of bereavement committees and Chevra Kadisha groups in synagogues and communities. We provide information, education and technical assistance about Jewish funeral, burial, and mourning mitzvot. http://jewish-funerals.org/ (read more)
Natural Transitions, www.naturaltransitions.org, located in Boulder, supports family directed home funeral; disposition options and promotes dialogue around end of life issues.
Neptune Society is the largest provider of affordable cremation services in the nation. Thanks to the loyal support of generations of families, they have 45 locations nationwide, with continued expansion ahead. The nearest Colorado office is in Arvada. Call 800-NEPTUNE (800-637-8863)
http://www.neptunesociety.com
Orphan Wisdom, www.orphanwisdom.com, Stephen Jenkinson’s website dedicated to educational and philosophical exploration of the process of dying.
Order of the Good Death, www.orderofthegooddeath.com, established by Caitlin Doughty (Ask A Mortician blog) addresses all manner of end-of-life issues
The Spiritual Care Program provides online and in-person trainings for family caregivers and professionals for contemplative end-of-life care practices for compassionate, present caring for those who are dying. The program focuses on caring without burnout and provides tools and resources to enhance compassion from a contemplative perspective.
The Upaya Institute offers a Professional Training Program in Contemplative End of Life Care.
http://www.upaya.org/bwd/