This session offers practical and compassionate guidance for end-of-life care providers on how to identify common legal and estate planning needs that arise as patients approach the end of life. Beyond the legal considerations, this presentation explores how supporting these conversations can also serve as a form of grief support—helping patients and families find a sense of peace, closure, and control during an emotionally charged time. Attendees will gain tools to approach these topics in a trauma-informed, gentle, and ethically sound manner, fostering both clarity and comfort for those they serve.

Learning Outcomes

1. Recognize key estate planning and elder law considerations that commonly arise at end of life, and understand their impact on patients and families. 2. Develop language and strategies to initiate compassionate, grief-aware conversations about legal planning and decision-making. 3. Understand how addressing legal and financial concerns early can support emotional processing and reduce stress, aiding both patients’ and families’ grief journeys.