Start with what is happening right now.

If there is a medical emergency or the person is in severe distress, call 911 or contact their doctor or medical provider.

If you have been told that the illness is serious, cannot be cured, or that time may be limited, you may need help figuring out what happens next. That can include understanding what the doctors are saying, learning what hospice or palliative care are, deciding who needs to be involved, finding important documents, preparing questions, and making a plan for the days or weeks ahead.

Smart Collaborations helps you sort through those steps, understand what needs attention first, and prepare for the conversations and decisions ahead.

A serious diagnosis can leave you wondering what you are supposed to do next.

We help you understand the information you have been given, prepare questions for doctors and other healthcare providers, organize important medical and personal information, and figure out which decisions may need to be made next.

We can also help you think through who you want involved in your care, what matters most to you if your health gets worse, and what you want your family or healthcare providers to know.

This can be useful after a new diagnosis, while you are receiving treatment, or when you want to prepare for the possibility that an illness may become life-limiting.

No. Smart Collaborations does not provide medical or legal advice.

We help you prepare for real-life situations involving serious illness, healthcare, caregiving, and end-of-life planning. That can include helping you:

• understand information you have received from a doctor, hospital, hospice, care facility, or other provider

• prepare questions to ask doctors, nurses, hospice staff, care facilities, attorneys, funeral homes, or other professionals

• organize medical, legal, financial, and end-of-life documents

• identify missing information, unfinished tasks, or decisions that still need to be made

• prepare for medical appointments, family discussions, care planning, or end-of-life decisions

• understand what type of professional you may need to contact next

Doctors, nurses, and other licensed healthcare professionals provide medical advice and treatment. Attorneys provide legal advice and prepare or interpret legal documents.

Smart Collaborations helps you understand the situation, get organized, prepare, and know what to ask next.

Yes. You can invite a family member, chosen family member, caregiver, interpreter, or other person you trust to join your session.

Yes. Private consultations, planning sessions, medical-advocacy preparation, and presentations are available nationwide by Zoom.

In-person services and travel may also be available by prior arrangement when appropriate. Additional fees apply.

The first conversation is a private, no-obligation 30-minute Zoom meeting. We review your situation, identify the immediate priorities, determine what can wait, and decide whether Smart Collaborations is the right fit for what you need.

Yes. We can help you understand what may happen next, prepare questions for your veterinarian, think through euthanasia if it comes up, decide who should be involved, and plan for cremation, burial, or memorial arrangements.

Your veterinarian handles medical care. We help you prepare for the decisions around it.

Yes. Professionals, organizations, family members, and others may refer someone to Smart Collaborations.

You can email info@smartcollaborations.com or direct them to the Appointments page to schedule a free consultation.