Specialists in care for the terminally ill urged people to have "difficult conversations" about potential treatment and wishes after death. Baroness Ilora Finlay, of Cardiff University, said patients "must let people know now". It comes after new guidance on palliative care was issued.
"The great temptation when you are scared, and of course, we are all scared, is to try to close your mind to your worst fears," says Dr Rachel Clarke, author and palliative care specialist.
"Why would anyone want to contemplate their own mortality right now when everyone could be threatened? But it is precisely that uncertainty that makes this the most important time for advanced care planning."
Advanced care planning is a technical term but, "really advanced care planning amounts to nothing more complicated than having a think - with your nearest and dearest - about what would matter to you if you became so sick that you may die", Dr Clarke said.
"Are you the kind of person who would want to go to hospital, to intensive care or would you want to stay at home?" she added.
"If you don't have these conversations and the worst does happen, it would be terrible, if your loved one suddenly became sick and couldn't speak for themselves, and you realised you didn't know what Mum would have wanted - you would have to say, 'I don't know'," Dr Clarke says.
"You might always be left with the haunting, nagging fear that you weren't able to advocate for her.
"Isn't it more important to have these conversations, just in case, than end up in a panic, wondering what a loved one would have wanted?"
Adrienne Betteley, from Macmillan Cancer Support said: "It is never too early to have conservations about advance care plans. We need to encourage people to start talking about their wishes as soon as possible."
You can read the read the full guidance on Palliative End of Life Care here