AfterLoss planning mode

A mode of an AfterLoss case for arranging affairs before a death rather than after one. The case structure is the same, but the urgency is suppressed, the language is changed where it would otherwise assume the person had already died, and the tasks reflect the planning work (writing a will, recording funeral wishes, organising powers of attorney) rather than the bereavement work.

What it does

Planning mode reframes the dashboard for someone planning their own affairs, or planning on behalf of an ageing parent. Tasks change: the estate planning checklist, making a will, lasting power of attorney, an advance decision under the Mental Capacity Act 2005, and an expression of wishes form or letter of wishes for pension nominations. The tone is forward-looking; nothing on the dashboard refers to the person as deceased.

When the time comes, a four-step transition flow converts the planning case into a bereavement case: confirm the death has happened, designate (or confirm) the successor who will take over, transfer ownership, and unlock the bereavement task list. The wishes, documents, and contacts already recorded carry over without re-entry.

What problem it solves

Planning a death is something most adults intend to do and most never get around to. Part of the reason is that bereavement-flavoured tools (the kind a hospice or a charity hands out) feel uncomfortable to fill in while you're well. Planning mode removes that, and gives the work somewhere to live where it will actually be useful when the time comes.

Where it sits in the procedural sequence

Planning sits beside, not before, the rest of AfterLoss. For the conceptual background see end-of-life planning and recording funeral wishes. The wishes recorded in planning mode are the same dataset that becomes the funeral plan view after the death.

Use this feature

Start a case and choose planning mode at the first step.