Thanks for this excellent, excellent post Melissa! I hope it's read far and wide for all its thoughtfulness and planning! I've saved the post to share with family, as well as friends my age, so they can understand the reasonableness of what I've done to date. I've never heard of MAID, but I will look into it.

I've pretty much planned everything else down to having written my own obituary (because nobody alive knows me better than me!) and directives as to where my cremated remains are to be scattered (divided into thirds and spread over the ocean in the three most important places in my life — SC, FL and The Gambia in West Africa. I've enough life insurance to cover the cremation and the cost of the trips for my immediate family to have celebrations of life in each place). Some people I know think it's strange but like you, I don't want my husband nor my sons to have to go through all you mentioned. And while I still have my wits about me (as Alzheimer's runs in my family), I can be certain they won't have to.