. 2009 Jun 19;49(4):525–535. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnp045

Table 2.

22 Questions for Ethical Wills

Values and education

1. What values and beliefs are important to you and which would you like to pass on to others? (Offer example of a value ——— education)

2. What are your spiritual beliefs?

Thoughts

3. Do you have children? What thoughts would you like to pass down to your children and/or grandchildren? If no children, what thoughts would you like to pass down to others?

4. What books or films were most influential to you? What did they teach you?

Words of wisdom

5. What advice would you offer other people about how they should live their lives? Or What words of wisdom do you wish to impart to the next generation?

6. Is there anything in your life that you want others to know about? This is a gift to your family.

Life experiences

7. What have you learned from your life experiences that you can share with us? Are there any particular experiences that you wish to share with your family or friends? Why did you choose these ones, out of your many memories? What have those experiences taught you?

8. Have you ever had a life altering experience or an event that changed your life that you can share with us? How did this event affect you? Was this the most significant moment of your life?

9. What was the most meaningful event in your life? Was it the result of a great deal of work? Did it change the way you view the world?

10. What makes your life worth living? Was it a particular relationship, your work, a group you were a part of?

Life's lessons

11. Did you have dreams when you were young that you fulfilled? Didn't fulfill?

12. Have you learned something from your parents or grandparents that you wish to share with your children or others?

13. Who is or was the most important person in your life and what did you learn from that person?

14. Were there any others who greatly impacted your life? What did they do or say?

Regrets and gratitude

15. Is there something that you are grateful for?

16. Do you have regrets of something you did not do? Or something you did?

17. What were the things in your life that you are most proud of?

Decisions

18. What was the hardest decision you ever made?

19. What hopes and/or dreams do you have for your loved ones?

20. Is there anything in your life that you should have done differently?

Change and the future

21. If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be? How would you change it?

22. If you only had one year left to live, what would you do?