*Note: Allay Care Services is a revenue-generating not-for-profit but has contributed no financial support to the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab. We have listed it here as an example of innovation in spiritual care, which need not necessarily be non-profit.*
Everyone deserves comfort and dignity when they are ill, especially in their last days. But many people feel overwhelmed or uncomfortable talking about it before it happens. It can be hard to know even how to have the conversation. We are here to help. Allay Care Services knows how important it is to talk through what matters most to you, and what a real relief it is for those who love and care for you.
Allay Care Services helps you answer the questions about how you want to live at the end of your life and what you want to do with your body when you’re done with it. The basics of this are typically covered in a doctor’s office or funeral home. Allay Care Services goes beyond the basics. We provide comprehensive care planning, helping you discern how your values shape what your last days should be like – everything from who is there and what they’re doing to who will close down your online accounts after you’re gone. It’s not always easy to talk about, but it is important. You’ll find it gives you huge peace of mind now – and the clarity your provide by documenting your wishes will give long lasting peace of mind to your loved ones after you’re gone.
Zac Willette is a board-certified chaplain trained to listen and help people name what is most important to them. Zac has guided thousands of people as they traversed through both life and death experiences. With a background in education, international work and experience serving people in two of Chicago’s most intense ER and Trauma Centers, Zac understands the power of communication and brings a perspective of inclusion and diversity to his work. Zac co-founded Allay Care Services in 2018 out of a deep belief that life is beautiful and – because death is inescapably a part of life – death should have beauty and dignity in it as well.
Before co-founding Allay Care Services, Zac served as head of Spiritual Care for Ascension, the nation’s largest nonprofit health system. Zac received his bachelor of science degree from Vanderbilt University and his master of divinity degree from Boston College. He lives and works in Minneapolis, MN.
*Note: Zac serves on the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab’s Advisory Group. We have received no financial consideration for this page.*