If you are in need or need assistance on any matter related to this content, feel free to contact BIWA. You can use our contact form, e-mail directly to
info@biwabaliladies.org
1. Background to preparedness
– Have a conversation with your friends and family and consider the issues, ask the questions and answer them.
Topics that should be discussed include;
– Include a plan in case of death.
Remember you can change these ideas at any time as your wishes and circumstances change or world travel changes.
– You can always call the funeral directors to have a preliminary discussion.
This might be particularly helpful and can ease some stress due to the knowledge provided.
– Work out how you will pay for hospitalization and funeral.
Perhaps you should set up a bank account for this purpose and ensure that your nominee has access to it.
– What if you and your nominee die together?
Who gets notified and who has access to your papers and wishes and accounts?
– Do you want to be resuscitated?
Will you organize a power of attorney or a Do Not resuscitate (DNR). Make sure carers know about this and have access to it.
– Do you have an up to date medical file?
– Assets in your home country, and or assets in Bali?
You need a valid will for each country.
2. Documents to prepare:
Download the Cover document – Essential info
here.
Note specifics that relate to you.
– Find out your blood group. Most Indonesians are either B or O; there is rarely a RH negative factor in their blood and the Bali blood bank is not likely to hold stock. If you have a rare group, it has been suggested that you make and maintain contact with 3 or 4 people in the expat community to ensure a reciprocal arrangement if you or they are in need of blood. You can advertise on Facebook.
– Have an updated list of medications (also covered in the Cover document above).
– Have an up to date medical history document.
– Complete a Do Not Resuscitate Form with two options of decision makers in case one of your options is incapacitated. You can download this form
here.
– Complete the “5 wishes document”. You can visit
fivewishes.org to complete.
– Keep your Next of Kin information up to date and be sure they know your wishes.
– Where is your preferred hospital and do you have their phone number and their ambulance details in your phone?
– How are you going to pay your medical bills?
3. Bank accounts
We STRONGLY RECOMMEND you check with your bank(s) as to their procedure. We surveyed three banks and received different information from each as to their requirements in case of death.
You should be aware that the moment a bank learns of a death any and all accounts in that name will be firmly closed and inaccessible until all requirements are completed. This can take up to two years, so you should do everything possible to make your funds available to cover death/funeral costs and ensure your heirs have access as soon as possible.
You are strongly recommended to check if you can avoid the worst bureaucracy by creating joint accounts with a trusted friend. Some banks would keep the accounts open, other will still close them immediately on hearing of the death.
Rules differ according to whether a party involved is WNI (Indonesian citizen) or WNA (Foreign citizen)
At a minimum banks want to see:
– Death Certificate from Catatan Cipil or Kelurahan
– Kartu Keluarga of deceased
– KTP of heirs and deceased
– Birth Certificate of Heirs
– Proof of ownership of goods and possessions. Including Bank Deposit Certificates, Bank books, ATM cards
WNA – Legal verification of Will from their country (with sworn translation to BI)
– Copies of all passports
Surat Kuasa (Authorising Letter)
-If funds are below Rp 25 million – a simple Surat Kuasa
– Over 25 million:
WNI – Notarised Surat Kuasa
WNA – Surat Kuasa legalized by Public Notary and Indonesian Embassy/Consulate in that country
Plus a Declaration of Inheritor witnessed by the Lurah and recognized by the Camat.
4. Useful numbers:
Ambulance: 118
Police: 110
Antar Bangsa Funeral Director (Pak Agus): +62 811 393 196
RSAD Funeral Director: +62 811 3990 430
Private Ambulance Service: WA: 0821 4516 1692
5. Quick reference:
Further resources: (note BIWA does not endorse any information/organizations listed below. This list is just a guide to possible resources and may not be up-to-date)
6. Personal experiences:
– Len’s death
– Margaret & John’s story (taken from the Bali Advertiser)
– Janelle’s death
– Eric’s death
– Trevor’s story
– The articles below are all by Cat Wheeler as posted in Bali Advertiser in 2019 and 2020. Ibu Cat adds:
I have been in conversation with Dr Krisna at Ubud Care Clinic for several years on the subjects of aging and dying in the expat community. UCC is very open and forward thinking. They understand that most of us would prefer to die at home with appropriate pain and anxiety support. This is a learning curve here. Morphine is not always available even for cancer pain management and the practice is to try and keep people alive at all costs instead of gently assisting to the exit. It is illegal here to administer morphine and ativan near death, as is the practice in many Western countries.
– For chronic and terminal conditions, there is little in the way of home care yet although UCC plans to train palliative carers in future. There are a handful of good private nurses available.
– Post stroke rehab and dementia are well managed in residential/day programs at Sada Jiwa in Mengwi which works closely with a Dutch university hospital in stroke rehab. But they only have about 14 residential units. They also sometimes can provide 24 hour home nursing.
– Expected Death at Home (EDH) is well supported in the west but again, there is a learning curve here. With EDH, make sure the banjar is aware that someone is ill and will die. When death occurs, DO NOT call the police who will assume foul play and interrogate the survivors. Call the attending doctor who will provide a death certificate, then call Agus at the funeral home
– I have used the services of Agus at Antara Bangsa Funeral Service in both sudden and expected deaths. He is a lovely guy and will look after everything. His English is good. He will pick up the body, do all the paperwork, arrange the cremation and any religious service. He can also send the body/ashes overseas. The cost for local pick up/cremation is about 15 juta now I think. Antara Bangsa Funeral Service +62 811 393 196.
– I’ve tried to set up Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) here. Dr Krisna says it is technically illegal, but we can sign a release if we do not want to go into hospital, and claim we have no money to pay for treatment which may be the only way we will be allowed to die at home. In the past the knee jerk reaction was to put all tamu into hospital to die but now that there are so many more of us we are able to make our last wishes heard.
– Grief counselling is not officially available but there are a few western psychologists retired here who offer this service.
