End-of-Life Resources

Taking small steps now can ease stress later. These resources can help you get organised with legal documents, medical wishes, digital accounts, and other practical considerations.

• Download: Getting started with end-of-life planning [PDF]
• Download: Are you prepared end-of-life checklist [PDF]

Administration

• Victoria Legal Aid – Wills, estates and powers of attorney – Information about wills and other legal documents in Victoria.
• State Trustees – Government-backed company providing wills, powers of attorney, deceased estate administration, and trusts.
• Paige – Online vault for creating, organising, and storing your will and other important documents, passwords, and memories.
• Touchstone Life Care – Upload, store, and share your advance care directive and other forms with trusted contacts and health providers.
• Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) – Free interpreting service for people who don’t speak English.

 Advance care planning

• Advance Care Planning Australia – Plan your future health care and medical treatment while you’re healthy and can make decisions yourself.
• MyValues – Identify and communicate your wishes about the medical treatment you would want in the later stages of life.
• Medical treatment decision makers, Better Health Channel – Victorian fact sheet on who can make decisions if you cannot.

Digital estate planning

• What happens to your digital accounts after you die, eSafety Commissioner – Overview of managing online accounts.
• Digital Estate Planning: Guide to safeguarding your digital legacy and ensuring your information is secure and managed.

Other considerations

• Organ donation: The Australian Organ Donor Register (AODR) is the national register where you record your organ and tissue donation decision. You can also join the AODR through DonateLife, MyGov, the Express Plus Medicare app, or a paper-based form.
• Services Australia Financial Information Service: A free service that can inform and educate you about financial matters.
• Many superannuation funds include life insurance, death and disability insurance. Contact your super fund to enquire.

When you or someone close to you is living with a serious illness, support is available. These resources offer guidance on palliative care, decision-making, and community connections.

• HELP App – Coordinate support among family, friends, and carers.
• Palliative Care Victoria – Helps people live as fully and comfortably as possible with a life-limiting illness.
• Understanding Palliative Care, Cancer Council: A guide for people with cancer, their families, and friends. PDF.
• My Palliative Care Toolkit – Developed by Barwon Health for LGBTIQA+ communities. PDF.
• Dying with Dignity Victoria – Information, education and guidance on voluntary assisted dying.
• Multicultural communities, Palliative Care Victoria – Information tailored for culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
• Very Special Kids – Holistic palliative care for children and young people with life-limiting conditions, as well as tailored support for their families.

As death approaches, individuals often want to know what to expect and how best to support a person at the end of life. These resources offer compassionate, practical guidance.

• At the end – dying explained, Better Health Channel – What to expect as death approaches.
• The Process of Dying, Palliative Care Victoria – Booklet on what to expect and how to help. PDF.
• Ways to be there, CarerHelp – Suggestions for supporting a person during their final days. PDF
• Caring for the dying person, CarerHelp – Fact sheet for carers. PDF.
• Nurse-on-Call (1300 60 60 24) – 24/7 advice from registered nurses in Victoria.

Funerals can be arranged well in advance or in the days after a death. These resources explain your options and connect you with trusted providers, from traditional services to more holistic or creative farewells.

• Funeral planning, NDAN: Guidance on coffins, celebrants, cremation, burial, and natural options.
• Australian Funeral Directors Association – For more information on planning a funeral and finding a funeral director. Best for traditional funerals, burials, and cremations.
• Natural Grace Holistic Funeral Care – Victorian funeral provider specialising in eco-friendly funerals, home-based death care, and natural burials.
• The Last Hurrah – Independent, female-owned company offering secular, atheist, and creative farewells.
• Gathered Here: Find and compare funeral celebrants and directors near you and get price quotes for headstones and monuments.
• The Willow Tree: Holistic funeral care for families following the death of a child

The days and weeks following a death can be overwhelming. These resources outline the practical steps to take and where to find support with official processes.

• What to do when somebody dies, CHOICE – Consumer-friendly guide.
• Coroners Court of Victoria: Deaths that have occurred unusually or unexpectedly must be reported.
• Births, Deaths and Marriages – Order a Victorian-issued death certificate.
• Australian Death Notification Service – A free government initiative to help people get in touch with multiple organisations using a single online notification. You can use this service once a death certificate has been issued.
• Australian Bereavement Register – Stop unwanted mail.
• Sage Executor Solutions – Coordinates and manages the deceased estate administration.
• Advice of death form (SA116) – Notify Medicare, Centrelink, and Child Support.
• Superannuation death benefits – What you need to know about receiving a superannuation death benefit after someone has died.
• Insurance: Check funeral, life, accident, private health, or other policies.

Carers often carry a heavy load, both before and after a death. These services provide advice, respite, financial support, and a listening ear.

• Carers Victoria – Advocacy, information, and support for carers in Victoria
• Carer Gateway – Australian Government program providing free services and support for carers.
• CarerHelp – Tools, resources, and guidance for carers at all stages.
• Support for carers, Services Australia – Payments and services available to support you and the person you care for.

Grief is a natural response to loss, but it can be isolating. These organisations provide support, counselling, and community for different kinds of bereavement.

• Grief Australia: An independent, not-for-profit centre providing support for bereaved and grieving Australians.
• Griefline: Australia’s national grief support hub.
• Red Nose Grief and Loss: Specialised bereavement support for pregnancy and child loss.
• StandBy: Support for people bereaved by suicide.
• Checklist and plan for moving forward, CarerHelp – Practical guidance for the months following a death.

Losing an animal companion can be heartbreaking. These resources offer support, guidance, and options for aftercare and remembrance.

• Rest Your Paws – Veterinary palliative care, home euthanasia, aftercare, and grief counselling.
• Companion Animal Loss, Grief Australia – What to expect, what you can do, and managing grief
• Rainbow Bridge – Tributes, memorial gifts, and pet loss support.