• Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

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New website wishLockr.com to help tackle awkward conversations around death

WishLockr.com is set to launch in early 2018, to help tackle the difficulty often faced when discussing end-of-life plans.

The new platform takes a refreshing approach which will allow users to securely record their last wishes, cherished memories and store important information all in one place, for loved ones to access in the event of serious illness or death.

It aims to eliminate the need for difficult family conversations and also assist the estimated 60 per cent of UK adults who currently have not made a will.

Karen Nicholson, a member of the wishLockr team, said: “The idea for wishLockr initially came from our own experiences and watching the difficulty faced by our family and friends when it came to the subject of a loved one’s death.

“We hope that by creating a platform which allows users to easily record their last wishes, we can begin to challenge the negative connotations often associated with end-of-life arrangements and open up the lines of communication between friends and family members.

“In an age where people are ever more conscious of how they portray themselves and wish to be identified, wishLockr.com has been designed with a wide range of users in mind. In particular, millennials can often be very image aware, so we want to give them the opportunity to share who they are and begin to change the stigma around end-of-life plans from a young age.”

Offering a simple interface, wishLockr has been designed to attract users from age 18+, or millennials, right through to baby-boomers and generation X. It allows users to create a diary of life events, upload their favourite photos and songs, build bucket lists, record important financial information, leave any instructions for funeral or life celebrations, and much more.

Users can then nominate up to three friends or family members, called ‘wishUnlockrs’, to access their information upon their passing.

Mrs Nicholson, added: “The ability to invite loved ones to view important information helps to remove doubt, pressure and anxiety for everyone. When the time comes, everything is in place and securely accessible.

“We believe there’s more to life than memories, so we’ve also included a bucket list section to help users to plan their future adventures. As the saying goes, ‘the best is yet to come’”

Users can also record who they wish to be responsible for their ‘digital legacy’, such as social media accounts, which is a topic recently discussed on BBC Radio 4’s series ‘We Need To Talk About Death’.

WishLockr will also provide prompts for professional services, such as financial advice and will writing services, where users can request to be contacted by a member of the team for general advice and a quote. Other fee-based services available will include funeral planning, estate planning, and booking of travel and leisure activities.

The website, www.wishLockr.com, is currently in its final stages of testing and is set to launch to the public in early 2018.