There is no better time than now—with me in my 69th year—to make clear to all of you how I want to spend the last few years, months, weeks and days of my life on…

“As the years passed, he eased into a place of comfort knowing that our daughters would absorb the loss, or at least not be destroyed by it, when his death came, because in our family we didn’t avoid “the conversation.”

We’ve asked community members to share how they are planning their work (to spread the importance of end-of-life care conversations) so it continues in the long run. The five most common ways groups or individuals are ensuring this work lives on are listed here.

…an advance directive is a way of extending my fatherly caring into a future when I will be the object of attention – and emotional distress. Envisioning such scenes, I imagine that my daughters might wish for my arm around their shoulders.

Beth Gamel, Managing Director at Argent Wealth Management, is no stranger to experiences with death. So when she heard Ellen Goodman talk about The Conversation Project’s message about the importance of end-of-life care conversations, it personally hit home.

Katy Butler is a New York Times bestselling author, journalist and prominent end-of-life speaker. Her post is adapted from her  new book, “The Art of Dying Well: A Practical Guide to a Good End of…