What is ‘TULIPS’?

Great question!

To understand TULIPS, we first need to ask, ‘What is End of Life Planning?’ End of Life Planning is a way of being comfortable with answering the question:

“If I had died yesterday, what have I put in place to make things easier for those around me today?”

An End of Life Plan is a document that enables you to capture and record all the details about you and your life. There are lots of reasons you may want to make your Plan but here are some common ones:

  • Facilitates the best chance of having your end of life wishes, preferences and plans being carried out

  • Provides peace of mind to those around you that their final acts for you are what you would have wanted

  • Supports the people who are grieving to meet any administrative burden as prepared and as easily as possible

Your plan can be as high-level or as detailed as you would like it to be - there is no right or wrong, only what is right for you. So that's what an End of Life Plan is and why you might want to make one but......where do you start???

Introducing TULIPS

The Dockleaf Conversations approach to making your End of Life Plan easily, comfortably and without overwhelm is by planting TULIPS:

Tidying Up - Leaving Instructions - Planning Your Send-Off - [The Vase]

Each of the TULIPS is made up of 'petals'. Breaking each topic down in this way makes the process of making your End of Life Plan much easier as you can piece it together step-by-step, in your own time, at your own pace, in your own way.

TULIPS At-A-Glance

  • TU: Tidying Up

    aka ‘Your Practicalities’

    - Household Matters

    - Finance Matters

    - Digital Matters

  • LI: Leaving Instructions

    aka ‘Your Legals’

    - Wills

    - Lasting Power of Attorney

    - Advance Decision

  • PS: Planning Send-Off

    aka ‘Your Wishes’

    - Last Days Wishes

    - Funeral Wishes

    - Legacy Wishes

  • Image representing 'The Vase'

    The Vase

    aka ‘The Container’

    - Keeping Your Plan Tidy

    - Keeping It Updated

    - Sharing With Others

Introducing the TULIPS Template

The idea behind TULIPS is that it’s an easy way to check that your end of life plan covers all the important things. But it can still all feel a bit overwhelming because…well, there’s a lot. It’s important to remember that you don’t have to do everything. And you definitely don’t have to do it all at once. Reflecting on what matters most to you, talking about it with others and then taking action - it takes time.

And that’s where the TULIPS Template comes in. It’s a one-page document that helps you to think about each section, one flower at a time. There’s no right or wrong, just what’s right for you. It’s free to download and you can use it in whatever way makes sense for you. If you’re wondering what it looks like and how to get it, then click here to go to the TULIPS Template page to find out more.