Member Article

Major bank boost to business helping with “most difficult” conversation

A business which is on a mission to have end of life plans become as commonplace as birth plans, has received a major boost after partnering with NatWest.

The banking giant has partnered with Before I Go Solutions, a Community Interest Company based in Forres (near Moray, Scotland), founded by international author and speaker on grief, loss and a positive approach to dying, Jane Duncan Rogers.

As well as helping people to think about, plan and create their own end of life plans, it also trains people in having one of the most difficult conversations – about dying.

Now, led by Jane, NatWest will train their Personal Bank Managers to feel more at ease talking about end of life, so they can feel comfortable about mentioning NatWest’s “Plan Ahead” service to their customers.

The pilot scheme was described as ‘outstanding’ and ‘excellent’ with the vast majority agreeing that by the end of the training they felt more comfortable talking about death to their customers, and why using the Plan Ahead system is so beneficial for them and their families.

**Before I Go Solutions **has a global network of licensed practitioners led by Jane, who began her mission after the death of her husband Philip in 2011, ‘when it became obvious he would have had a very different experience if he had not been so afraid of dying.’

The partnership is a further boost to Before I Go Solutions, which last month was announced as one of ten “Changemakers” by Royal London.

The Royal London Changemakers programme is committing £1.5 million over three years to support social enterprises that have created bold and innovative ideas to improve financial resilience and protect against life shocks.

Jane Duncan Rogers comments;

I passionately believe society needs to be more open about grief, death and dying.

To be sticking our heads in the sand and finding these topics difficult to mention is understandable but given we are all going to be affected by them sooner or later we need to face them and more crucially, take action.

So I am absolutely delighted to be working alongside NatWest and with Royal London to help ensure these conversations are being had as sympathetically and constructively as possible. It is really refreshing to see major institutions such as them opening up and being keen to be part of a movement that is so vital.

It is my goal to open up conversations about these topics, bring them out of the closet and to help people take action. That is where our new End Of Life Planning cards come in, explains Jane.

Launched as part of Dying Awareness Week, the cards aim to turn end of life conversations into plans.

The cards were beta-trialled by Jane’s global network of licensed practitioners and are based on Before I Go’s popular online quiz.

90% of people say it’s essential to plan for their end of life but only 14% have actually done anything formal about it, concludes Jane.

To find out what you can do right now, to bring yourself relief and peace of mind and save your family headache and heartache, take a look at their free quiz or if you feel you might want to play a part in helping others with this most crucial issue as a licensed practitioner, visit

https://beforeigosolutions.com/end-of-life-facilitator-programme/

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Mac Watson .