Life Well Lived. Organizing and Planning a Life Aligned with Your Values (en Inglés) - Amy Sobrino

After over a decade practicing clinical social work, Amy Sobrino was used to hearing similar conversations repeatedly. Families coping with a shocking diagnosis or death came to her, saying:

"We didn't talk about anything like this. I have no idea what my dad would want, and he can't tell me now because of his stroke."

"We didn't discuss finances - I don't know what bills there are or how to pay them."

"I can't even think about planning the funeral."

Over these years, the concept for Life Well Lived took shape. What if adults had access to a book that combined value-based aging & illness planning, caregiving guidance, and an organizational template for important details that make up a life? How supportive this resource could be for so many lives. Many people enter illness and aging with no plan, limited awareness of available supports and resources, and minimal discussions with family and friends on their wishes, preferences, and values. Unfortunately, many are caught off guard by a sudden illness or death, and struggle to pick up the pieces. The collateral damage of these situations affects not only family and friends, but the greater healthcare system, legal systems, financial institutions, and beyond.

Life Well Lived brings a holistic approach to health and wellbeing by including chapters on determining your core values, value-based care planning in illness and aging, and guidance for caregivers on upholding their loved one's values and wishes. Life Well Lived takes the approach of value identification for each individual and understanding how that impacts their view of healthy aging and illness planning. It encourages creating documents like living wills or advance directives, which help outline a decision-making process based on the wishes and values of each person.

Life Well Lived helps lay a foundation for adults to begin these important discussions with thoughtful prompts, thorough discussion points, and a way to organize this information.