Free End-of-Life Counseling

Compassion & Choices offers End-of-Life Counseling.  This is free, confidential, professional support anywhere in the country.  Compassion & Choices counselors will listen to your unique situation and answer your questions whether you want to improve the quality of life you have left, achieve a peaceful death or simply plan ahead.



Over 100 expert staff and volunteers stand ready to serve in every state. We help with advance directives, local referrals, information and support on end-of-life care and decision making.  Call 800.247.7421 or email.  Here are some of their general FAQs.



Q: What should I expect when I talk to a counselor?

• Our 800 number connects you with a confidential voicemail system, and we check messages at least twice daily. A trained professional counselor will then call back to answer all your questions, find out more about you and allow you to talk openly.

Q: How do I discuss my end-of-life wishes with my doctor or family members?

• Plainly, simply and honestly. Speaking with one of our end-of-life counselors often helps people clarify their goals so they can more easily communicate them to others.

Q: Where can I find information about advance directives?

• You can find information and advance directive forms for every state on our advance planning information page. If you have difficulty completing them, one of our end-of-life counselors will gladly assist you.

Q: If I live in a state with no law protecting aid in dying, should I move to Oregon or Washington?

• No; there are many options available to people across the nation, which an end-of-life counselor can explain to you. Compassion & Choices wants everyone with a terminal illness to have a peaceful death no matter which state they live in.

Q: Where can I get the pill to end my life?

• This is the question we hear most often, and people ask it with many different things in mind. In certain cases a lethal dose of medication, prescribed by a physician and self-ingested, can be the best path to a gentle death. After a thorough conversation with you and perhaps your family, our counselors may provide information regarding medication and how to obtain it.