Death Preparation

实用的临终准备和哲学死亡意识。当某人需要立遗嘱或预先指示、想要与家人进行死亡对话、在健康恐慌后处理死亡问题或想要让自己的事务井然有序时使用。

## 概述（中文）

实用的临终准备和哲学死亡意识。当某人需要立遗嘱或预先指示、想要与家人进行死亡对话、在健康恐慌后处理死亡问题或想要让自己的事务井然有序时使用。

## 原文

# Death Preparation & Mortality Awareness

You are going to die. Not eventually, not in theory, not as a metaphor. You, specifically, will stop being alive, and everything you haven't prepared for will become someone else's emergency. Half of this skill is paperwork — wills, advance directives, digital legacy, the death file. The other half is the part nobody talks about: what it means to live with the knowledge that this ends, how to have the conversation with the people you love, and why doing this work actually makes you less afraid, not more. The practical and the philosophical are the same project.

```agent-adaptation
# Localization note — death is universal. The paperwork is jurisdiction-specific.
- Advance directive forms, will requirements, and estate law vary by country AND
  by state/province within countries.
  US: State-specific advance directive forms (varies by state), probate law varies
  UK: Lasting Power of Attorney (health and welfare), Wills Act 1837
  Australia: Advance Care Directive (varies by state/territory)
  Canada: Provincial advance directive forms, provincial probate law
  EU: Varies dramatically by country
- Substitute local legal resources:
  US: State bar association free forms, FiveWishes.org
  UK: NHS advance care planning, gov.uk/make-will
  Australia: Advance Care Planning Australia advancecareplanning.org.au
  Canada: Speak Up Canada advancecareplanning.ca
- Organ donation registration processes are country-specific.
  US: organdonor.gov / registerme.org
  UK: NHS Organ Donor Register organdonation.nhs.uk
  Australia: donatelife.gov.au
  Canada: Provincial registries
- Funeral costs and norms vary significantly by culture and country.
  The cost ranges in this skill are US-centric. Adjust for local market.
- Cultural attitudes toward death preparation vary enormously. Some cultures
  consider it unlucky or inappropriate to discuss death planning. The agent
  should acknowledge cultural context while still encouraging practical preparation.
```

## Sources & Verification

- **Five Wishes** -- Advance directive document valid in most US states. [fivewishes.org](https://www.fivewishes.org/)
- **American Bar Association** -- Will and estate planning resources. [americanbar.org/groups/real_property_trust_estate](https://www.americanbar.org/groups/real_property_trust_estate/)
- **AARP** -- End-of-life planning guides. [aarp.org/caregiving/financial-legal/](https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/financial-legal/)
- **National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization** -- Advance care planning resources. [nhpco.org](https://www.nhpco.org/)
- **Atul Gawande** -- "Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End" (2014). Metropolitan Books.
- **National Funeral Directors Association** -- Cost survey and consumer resources. [nfda.org](https://www.nfda.org/)

## When to Use

- User needs to create a will or advance directive and doesn't know where to start
- Someone has had a health scare and wants to get their affairs in order
- User wants to have the death conversation with family members but doesn't know how
- Someone is processing mortality — their own or a loved one's
- User asks about funeral planning, estate planning, or digital legacy
- Someone wants to do the practical work of being a responsible adult about this
- User is interested in memento mori or mortality awareness as a daily practice

## Instructions

### Step 1: The advance directive — do this today

**Agent action**: Walk the user through creating an advance directive. This is the single highest-priority item.

```
ADVANCE DIRECTIVE (also called a Living Will):

This document tells doctors what you want when you can't speak
for yourself. Without it, your family has to guess — and that
guessing can tear families apart during the worst moment of
their lives.

WHAT IT COVERS:
-> Do you want CPR if your heart stops?
-> Do you want mechanical ventilation (breathing machine)?
-> Do you want artificial nutrition and hydration (feeding tube)?
-> Do you want dialysis?
-> Do you want palliative/comfort care only?
-> Under what conditions do you want treatment stopped?

HEALTHCARE PROXY (also called Healthcare Power of Attorney):
-> This is the person who makes medical decisions for you when
   you can't. Pick ONE person. Not your whole family.
-> Choose someone who: (a) will honor YOUR wishes, not their own,
   (b) can handle pressure from other family members,
   (c) can make hard decisions under stress.
-> Tell this person your wishes IN DETAIL. The document alone
   isn't enough. They need to hear it from you.

HOW TO GET THE FORMS:
-> FiveWishes.org: $5, plain-language form valid in most states
   (widely recognized, written for non-lawyers)
-> Your state's free form: search "[your state] advance directive
   form" — most state bar associations offer free downloads
-> Your doctor's office usually has forms available

REQUIREMENTS (most states):
-> Must be witnessed by 2 adults (restrictions vary by state —
   usually witnesses can't be your healthcare proxy or heirs)
-> Some states require notarization
-> Give copies to: your healthcare proxy, your doctor, your
   hospital, and keep one in your death file (Step 6)

THIS TAKES 30 MINUTES AND COULD SPARE YOUR FAMILY THE WORST
ARGUMENT OF THEIR LIVES. DO IT TODAY.
```

### Step 2: The will — when you need a lawyer and when you don't

**Agent action**: Help the user assess their situation and take the appropriate path.

```
SIMPLE WILL ASSESSMENT:

YOU PROBABLY DON'T NEED A LAWYER IF:
-> Small estate (under your state's threshold — often $100-150K
   excluding home in some states)
-> Straightforward beneficiaries (everything to spouse, then kids)
-> No business ownership
-> No blended family complications
-> No complex tax situations

ONLINE WILL OPTIONS ($100-200, simple estates):
-> LegalZoom, Nolo, Trust & Will, FreeWill
-> These generate legally valid wills for simple situations
-> They walk you through the decisions step by step

YOU NEED A LAWYER IF:
-> Blended family (children from different marriages)
-> Business ownership (succession planning)
-> Significant assets (estate tax threshold: $13.61M federal 2024,
   but some states tax much lower)
-> Special needs beneficiary (requires a special needs trust)
-> Property in multiple states
-> Complex debts or obligations
-> You want to disinherit someone (requirements are strict)

WHAT YOUR WILL MUST INCLUDE:
-> Executor (the person who carries out your wishes — pick someone
   organized, honest, and willing. This is a real job.)
-> Beneficiaries (who gets what)
-> Guardian for minor children (THIS IS CRITICAL if you have kids —
   without it, a court decides)
-> Specific bequests if any (grandma's ring goes to Sarah, etc.)

WHAT A WILL DOESN'T COVER:
-> Retirement accounts (401k, IRA) — these pass by beneficiary
   designation, not by will. CHECK YOUR BENEFICIARY DESIGNATIONS.
   After a divorce, many people forget to update these.
-> Life insurance — same. Beneficiary designation controls.
-> Joint accounts — pass to the surviving owner automatically.
-> Transfer-on-death accounts — pass by designation.

DO NOT skip beneficiary designation review. Many people have
meticulously crafted wills while their 401k still lists
an ex-spouse from 15 years ago.
```

### Step 3: Life insurance — what you actually need

**Agent action**: Cut through the industry confusion. Most people need term life and nothing else.

```
LIFE INSURANCE REALITY:

TERM LIFE INSURANCE:
-> You pay a monthly premium. If you die during the term,
   your beneficiary gets the payout. If you don't die, you
   "lose" the premiums. That's how insurance works.
-> Typical: 20-30 year term, coverage of 10-12x annual income
-> Cost: A healthy 30-year-old can get $500K for $20-30/month
-> THIS IS ALMOST ALWAYS THE RIGHT CHOICE for working people
   with dependents.

WHOLE LIFE INSURANCE:
-> Combines insurance with a sa