Terminal Illness & End-of-Life Planning in Sweden: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Coordinate Palliative Care and Municipal Home Support

   • Regional palliative care and ASIH: Through the regional healthcare system and 1177 Vårdguiden, the treating physician can refer your family member to specialised palliative home care (avancerad sjukvård i hemmet, ASIH), municipal home healthcare (hemsjukvård), or an inpatient hospice or palliative ward [1].
   • Coordinated individual care plan (SIP): Request a Coordinated Individual Plan (samordnad individuell plan, SIP) bringing together the regional medical team and the municipality's social care caseworker (biståndshandläggare) so symptom relief, home-care assistance (hemtjänst), and assistive medical equipment in the home are seamlessly aligned [1].
   • High-cost protection and patient fees: Verify that the person's regional high-cost protection (högkostnadsskydd) for outpatient care and prescription medicines is active, and ask the municipal care coordinator whether municipal home-care fees are reduced or waived during specialised palliative care [1].
2. 2

   Record Healthcare Preferences and Medical Communication Consents

   • Patient autonomy and care planning dialogues: Under the Swedish Patient Act (patientlagen), healthcare must be designed in consultation with the patient. Ask the responsible physician for a formal care-planning dialogue (brytpunktssamtal) so your family member's goals for symptom control, place of care, and limits on life-prolonging interventions are recorded directly in their electronic medical record (journal) accessible via 1177 Vårdguiden [1].
   • Limits of Swedish living wills and healthcare proxies: In Sweden, a continuing power of attorney (framtidsfullmakt) cannot legally grant a proxy the authority to consent to or refuse medical or dental treatment on the patient's behalf [2]. Because healthcare decisions rest with the licensed clinician when a patient lacks capacity, written care preferences (livsslutsdirektiv or vårdvilja) should be documented in the medical record and shared with family members to guide clinical assessments [1] [2].
   • Authorising family access to medical updates: While capacity is intact, the ill person should record explicit consent in their medical file authorising healthcare staff to share clinical updates with designated relatives despite statutory healthcare secrecy rules (offentlighets- och sekretesslagen) [1].
3. 3

   Execute a Continuing Power of Attorney (Framtidsfullmakt) and Bank Mandates

   • Executing a valid Framtidsfullmakt: Under the Swedish Continuing Powers of Attorney Act (lag (2017:310) om framtidsfullmakter), an adult with full mental capacity can appoint one or more representatives (fullmaktshavare) to manage financial and personal affairs (such as paying bills, managing bank accounts, handling tax matters, and selling property or housing rights) if they later become permanently unable to do so due to illness [2] [3].
   • Strict formal witness requirements: The framtidsfullmakt must be in writing, state explicitly that it is a framtidsfullmakt, specify who the attorney-in-fact is and what matters are covered, and be signed by the grantor in the simultaneous presence of two witnesses who are not the appointed proxy and who sign to confirm the grantor's sound mind. Guidance on activation and optional court review is provided by Sveriges Domstolar [2].
   • Immediate bank mandates and Skatteverket representation: Because Swedish banks apply strict verification rules to powers of attorney and because statutory relative authority (anhörigbehörighet under Chapter 17 of the Parental Code) covers only routine everyday household payments, register bank-specific mandates immediately while the person can still use BankID, and register a tax and administrative representative (deklarationsombud) with Skatteverket [2] [3].
4. 4

   Activate Caregiver Allowance (Närståendepenning) and Sickness Benefits

   • Close Relative Benefit (Närståendepenning): Family members, partners, or close friends who take time off work to support a severely ill person in a life-threatening condition in Sweden can apply to Försäkringskassan (the Swedish Social Insurance Agency) for närståendepenning, which provides up to 100 compensation days in total per ill person (sharable among multiple caregivers) [4].
   • Medical statement and patient consent: To apply to Försäkringskassan, obtain a physician's medical statement (läkarutlåtande för närståendepenning) confirming the life-threatening illness and submit the patient's signed consent (or medical confirmation if the patient is no longer able to give written consent) [4].
   • Sickness and disability benefits for the ill person: Ensure that the ill person's own sickness benefit (sjukpenning), sickness compensation (sjukersättning), or additional cost allowance (merkostnadsersättning) with Försäkringskassan, as well as any employer-funded collective sickness insurance (such as AGS or ITP sickness pension), are active [4].
5. 5

   Review Wills, Beneficiary Clauses, and Cross-Border Estate Documents

   • Formal requirements for a Swedish will (Testamente): Under the Swedish Inheritance Code (ärvdabalken), a valid will (testamente) must be executed in writing while the testator has full mental capacity and signed in the simultaneous presence of two qualified, independent witnesses (aged 15 or older, not spouses, close relatives, or beneficiaries under the will), as outlined by Sveriges Domstolar [5].
   • Cohabitants, marital property, and pension beneficiaries: Because unmarried cohabitants (sambor) do not inherit from each other automatically under Swedish law, a written will is essential if a cohabitant is to inherit. Review whether occupational pensions (tjänstepension) and private life insurance policies carry active survivor repayment protection (återbetalningsskydd) and updated beneficiary clauses (förmånstagarförordnande) [5].
   • Cross-border assets and storage of originals: Because Sweden has no public central registry for wills, store the original signed testamente and framtidsfullmakt safely where trusted representatives can present the physical originals. If the ill person is a foreign citizen or owns assets outside Sweden, review whether to include an explicit choice-of-law clause under the EU Succession Regulation (Regulation 650/2012) [2] [5].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Vård i slutet av livet och palliativ vård (End-of-Life and Palliative Care) — 1177 Vårdguiden
2. [2]
   Framtidsfullmakt (Continuing Power of Attorney Rules and Scope) — Sveriges Domstolar
3. [3]
   Framtidsfullmakt och företrädare (Future Power of Attorney and Tax Representation) — Skatteverket
4. [4]
   Stödja en svårt sjuk närstående - Närståendepenning (Caregiver Benefit) — Försäkringskassan
5. [5]
   Dödsfall och arv (Inheritance, Wills, and Estate Rules) — Sveriges Domstolar