How we write and what we cite
Calm, direct, practical, Singapore-specific. Official sources for the things that change.
Voice
Most readers come to Last Days because something is happening, has just happened, or is about to happen. They do not want a thinkpiece. The writing is short sentences, plain words, and the answer near the top. “Call the GP first” beats “you may wish to contact a medical professional.” “Died” not “passed away” when the article is about paperwork. Softer language stays for the grief writing, where it belongs.
We do not tell readers what to feel. We describe what tends to happen, name the agencies and forms, and trust the reader to take it from there.
Sourcing
For anything procedural — rules, forms, fees, eligibility, legal procedure, timelines — we prefer official Singapore government and statutory sources. ICA for registration. NEA for cremation, burial, and ash management. CPF Board for CPF. HDB for flat matters. The Singapore Courts for probate and coroner procedure. The Syariah Court for Muslim inheritance. MUIS for Islamic religious guidance. MyLegacy as the consolidated portal. Singapore Statutes Online for the relevant acts.
Where an article touches a rule or fee that can change, we link directly to the government source at the end of the article. If a government page contradicts something we have written, the government page wins.
We avoid citing law firm marketing pages, funeral provider sales pages, and content farms as primary authority. They can be useful starting points but they are not the source of truth for procedure or law.
Medical content
The dying-process articles describe what families and hospice nurses commonly see in the last weeks, days, and hours: changes in breathing, circulation, appetite, consciousness. They exist so the room is less frightening. They are not diagnosis and not treatment. The doctor, hospice nurse, or palliative team in your case knows things we cannot.
Cultural and religious content
Singapore funerals span Buddhist, Taoist, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, free-thinker, and mixed-family rites. We cover what each tradition tends to ask of you and name the tradition in the opening lines so readers from other backgrounds know whether the article applies to them.
Practices vary. One Taoist family does the wake differently from another. One mosque interprets a question differently from another. One funeral director handles a custom one way; another handles it another way. Where a rite matters, check with the family elder, the religious officiant, or the funeral director who is running the wake.
Updates and corrections
Government fees and procedures shift. Forms get renamed. Portals get redesigned. We revisit the article when a reader flags a change or when we notice one ourselves. The date at the top of each article is the last meaningful update.
If you spot something wrong, out of date, or missing, write to [email protected]. Pointing to the official source helps us fix it faster. See contact for what to send and what not to send.