The Conversation Starter Kit is a useful tool to help you have the conversation with a family member, friend, or other loved one about your – or their – wishes regarding end-of-life care. It is available in several languages. All of the Starter Kits are available to download and print for free.
To purchase printed copies of the Starter Kits, or add your logo and contact information, visit our Mimeo Marketplace
To print or view a Starter Kit in larger font, click here
Note: Before filling in a Starter Kit, save it to your desktop. Otherwise, anything you type in it will not be saved.
Conversation Starter Kit
Talking with your loved ones openly and honestly, before a medical crisis happens, gives everyone a shared understanding about what matters most to you at the end of life. You can use this Starter Kit whether you are getting ready to tell someone else what you want, or you want to help someone else get ready to share their wishes.
- Languages:
- Coming Soon: Arabic
- Chinese
- English
- French
- German
- Haitian Creole
- Hebrew
- Hindi
- Japanese
- Korean
- Portuguese
- Russian
- Spanish
- Vietnamese
New! Audio version: Ellen Goodman reads The Conversation Starter Kit (English)- Co-branded version: For organizations planning to distribute the Conversation Starter Kit, we have a version to which you can add your logo and local contact information. Available for purchase here.
New! See related resources here
How to Choose a Health Care Proxy & How to Be a Health Care Proxy
In addition to having the conversation, it’s important to choose a health care proxy – the person who will make decisions about your medical care if you become unable to make them for yourself. This user-friendly guide offers facts and tips necessary to make sound decisions about choosing, and being, a health care proxy.
- Languages:
- Coming Soon: Arabic
- Chinese
- English
- Haitian Creole
- Portuguese
- Spanish
- Co-branded version: For organizations planning to distribute the Health Care Proxy Kit, we have a version to which you can add your logo and local contact information. Available for purchase here.
New! See related resources here
Conversation Starter Kit for Families and Loved Ones of People with Alzheimer’s Disease or Other Forms of Dementia
This Starter Kit is specifically designed to help families and loved ones of people with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia who want guidance about “having the conversation.” We appreciate the difficulty — and the importance — of having these conversations.
- Co-branded version: For organizations planning to distribute the Starter Kit for Families and Loves Ones of People with Alzheimer’s, we have a version to which you can add your logo and local contact information. Available for purchase here.
How To Talk To Your Doctor
After you’ve had the conversation with your loved ones, the next step is talking to your doctor or nurse about your wishes. Don’t wait for a medical crisis; talking with your doctor or nurse now makes it easier to make medical decisions when the time comes.
Pediatric Starter Kit: Having the Conversation with Your Seriously Ill Child
This Starter Kit is specifically designed to help parents of seriously ill children who want guidance about “having the conversation” with their children.