Will thy will be done? Yes, there is a way

DYING is not a conversation most people want to have and yet, as Benjamin Franklin said in 1789, “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes”.

September 12-16 is National Wills Week and while we all know we should have a will in place, have you ever thought about a living will?

Among other things, a living will can include where you would want to spend your last days, whether you would like to be kept on life support, who you would like – or not like – to attend your funeral.

Online start-up, Swansong, says it aims to make the difficult conversations about illness, facing death, and planning a good life to the end, easier, and offers virtual, guided, end-of-life planning.

Over two one-hour online video sessions, a counsellor helps a client clarify and communicate what is important to them towards the end of their life, documenting all of it into a living will or advance care plan.

Swansong is the brainchild of two South African women, Dr Linda Holding, a palliative care-trained doctor with 20 years of clinical risk management experience, and Shivani Ranchod, a health-care actuary and academic.

Holding said the Swansong Advance Care Plan contained decisions around future medical care (the treatment you are prepared to receive and where you want to die – hospital, hospice or home), and the nomination of your health-care proxy (someone who can legally make health-care decisions on your behalf if you can’t communicate). It’s a personalised document that can be changed at any time.

Swansong project lead Janine Rauch said it was never too early to prepare a living will. “Accidents happen. Illness and surgeries increase our risk of needing an advance care plan. The sooner you get your wishes on paper, the better.”

For more info: www.swansong.life