Your End of Life Matters : How to Talk with Family and Friends

Ziff advocates for communication of end-of-life matters based on stories and personal revelations, warmth, honesty, and humor woven skillfully through text, writing prompts, and guided exercises. This deftly handled “how to” book about communication on a subject that was previously taboo will have readers clamoring to begin their own conversations.

Your End of Life Matters is offered at a time when people are starting to talk more about end-of-life matters. Based on the author’s own experiences and those of others she’s worked with, the book conveys the value of talking about last wishes long before the end is imminent. With the primary emphasis on how to create a successful end-of-life communication of your own, this book weaves stories, text, writing prompts, humor, and exercises into 12 chapters that include answers to key questions including the who? why?, what?, how?, where?, and when? of a potential conversation. She covers Legacy Documents and other issues that might arise when planning for those final days. Ziff has written a “how-to” communication book for readers of all ages, addressing the need, and recommending methods, to do what her parents did, and what she eventually did as well: To communicate, with someone you know you can trust, what the end-of-life matters are that you will want known both before, and when the time (of your death) comes. Ziff has been on both sides of this vital conversation, first as a Listener, and, more recently, as its Initiator, and she advocates the value of both roles. “Let me tell you,” she admits candidly, “the planning ahead is pretty challenging and time-consuming—cataloging my office data, tax and medical information, photos and writings, to say nothing of books, and of clothing I had saved but not used in decades. But the relief—being able to know the talk was accomplished successfully—that’s remarkable! I’m free now to actively get on exploring my bucket list and living my life!”