Simple answer.

NO

Actually, it is "Equipped To Survive." :-)

As for being equipped to die, it's little different than being equipped to survive. Being organized and attending to potential issues surrounding death is just another part of the preparations for living. We have wills, life insurance and plans spelled out.

My only "fears" concerning death are:

1) Dying "stupidly", like from a stupid accident, freak accidents are usually OK, like an act of God.
2) Being dependent on others while going through the final long stretch (as in being invalided)

My "hope" for dying:

1) I'll be 99 years old and get shot in the back while outrunning a jealous husband!!!! (not likely)

Practical:
Will, updated and reviewed with PR;
Plan, or at least make your wishes known, for your funeral;
Advance Medical Directive, a.k.a. "Living Will;"
Designation of Health Care Surrogate, with full discussion;
Keep spouse/family involved and informed as to finances, etc.;
Keep personal records, important papers, instruction manuals, maintenance records, etc. organized and accessible;
Keep spouse/family informed of all those little things you routinely handle yourself, and make sure they know how to do them themselves, like changing furnace filters or rotating tires.

Personal:
Don't leave unsaid those things you want to or should say;
Apologize for and try to amend your errors as soon as possible;
Forgive others, and don't carry grudges;
Treat your spouse, family and friends as if today will be their last memory of you;
Focus more on life's experiences and less on life's material concerns;
Regret for things left undone and remorse for things done are burdens you don't have to inflict on yourself. So get off your duff and do the things you've always wanted or meant to do, but take care and think ahead, too;
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That's why we call it the 'present.'"

Err, oops, sorry bout that Doug, I was tired.

I think Jeff's list gets most of it. I liked Blast's mention of computer passwords too.

We're moderately prepared but am putting off buying the burial plots. The kids are grown, insurance is paid up, house is paid off, wills are done. So if we go down together the kids are set and lawyers won't steal too much.

My problem is not with death but with dying. Of the 18 members of our parents' generation 16 have passed in last 15 years. Many of them within the walls of hospitals or nursing homes. We're dealing now with my mother's failing years.

I've told my wife and kids is that I'd rather go sit on an ice floe in the Bering Sea than into a home.

Only problem with that plan is the ice floes might all be melted by the time I get to that old...

"I'll be 99 years old and get shot in the back while outrunning a jealous husband!!!!"

The problem lies with NOT outrunning him... or the bullet.

One problem that I am hearing about more with elderly people who need assistance is the care issue.

The primary caregiver (mobile spouse or other family member) often can't handle the feeble one without at least part-time help. The choice is between a $6,000/mo 'retirement' home, or live-in help.

First, they try the live-in or daily help. They pay minimum wage or $10/hr, and suddenly the primary caregiver thinks the hiree should do all the tiny little things that they themselves would (should) normally do for the feeble one (nitpicking), AND they want the hiree to do all THEIR housework and errands for them, too. None of the slaves wants to do all that, so they go through a lot of them, at least a couple a week. So, the spouse/family member says in-home care doesn't work.

Then they put them in the expensive home because they think they're getting better care, and are shocked that the care is no better than a State home, with bedsores, erratic medications, and left to pee and poop in the bed.

If people would use the few brain cells they've got, they would realize that they are hiring PEOPLE, not slaves. CHEAP is not the criteria.

They need to be realistic in what they want, so write it down. If the feeble person is tall, heavy and/or needs personal care, those are the main issues that need to be addressed. There is no point in hiring a 5' Filipino woman to manhandle a 6'4" man.

But if the feeble person just needs regular medication and someone to be around to help them out, fix a few meals and make sure they don't fall (or to call for help if they do), a little person would be fine (advertise for a 'companion').

If the feeble person needs fairly constant 24-hr care, the primary caregiver needs a full-time assistant to the tune of 84 hrs a week (total, probably two people sharing the job). If the hired people are paid $15/hr, you will get better people and keep them longer. If you are using a service like Catholic Community Services Home Care, and they pay $10/hr, give the good workers an extra $5/hr cash under the table.

And everyone needs to keep in mind that the hired care person is there for the feeble person, not for the relatives! You would think this would be obvious, but it's apparently not.

And if you have a family member who does have a home care attendent, YOU can still offer your services. You can cut toenails, give manicures and pedicures, do their hair or take them out to someone who does, take them out for lunch or dinner, pay for extra channels on TV, arrange for their access to the Talking Books program for the blind (or near-blind) [http://www.loc.gov/nls/], groom their pets or take them to be groomed, keep up the lawn and yard, etc.

Just because a person needs hired assistance doesn't mean they don't need attention from their family.

This thread is really hitting home right now. It may not be when you are old and decrepit, it might not even be when you are in your prime, it just might be before you really get started.

My nephew passed away last week from leukemia. He was diagnosed only 1 month prior to this. He was 14 and barely begun his life. Why him? I don't know. Why at that age? I couldn't tell you. Is it fair? I will let others debate that but one consoling thought from the Pastor who said that all life is a gift. We don't have a RIGHT to be born and occupy this world - it is a gift from the Almighty. Use it and cherish it while you can.

That said, I also had a classmate of mine pass away 2 months ago. He was 49. Another classmate was diagnosed with a brain tumour and is currently surviving after surgery last month. Another classmate has stomach cancer has done his first stage chemo and is in remission. My class had a grand total of 23 graduates! Am I next? Or will I live to be 90?

Although I am not a pessimist, I am a realist and it is prudent to financially plan for the future and for the benefit of loved ones. To just "hope for the best" is a failure to plan.

P.S. We also finalized the head stone for my mother who got passed away 3 years ago after a long illness.

People, you can be prepared financially and to some extent emotionally when the person you are dealing with is older or has been chronically sick. But nothing in this world will prepare you to bury your children and grandchildren.

Will, check.
Power of attorny stuff and living will, check.
Paperwork in order, as checked as it gets with me.
Life insurance, check.
List of which paper files are to be burned rather than examined, check.
List of which directories must be wipped clean on which computers, check.
Lists of passwords and accounts, check.
Letters of farewell, check.

Those last two include a notification to be posted here, actually. If I'm not going to be back as me, and not for a decade, well, you guys should know.

Oh, and a bottle of old scotch for the toast, check.