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  Why are
so many families pre-planning their funeral arrangements?
-
Pre-Planning provides peace of mind
for years
- You can personalize your funeral
- You reduce the emotional stress and financial burden of
surviving family members
- To provide for final expenses due to Medicaid regulations
- You can protect against rising funeral costs
Why
have a funeral service?
- It is the customary way to recognize death and its finality. Funerals are recognized
rituals for the living to show respect for the dead and to help survivors begin the grief
process.
Why
do I need a funeral director?
- Funeral directors are caregivers and administrators. They make the arrangements for
transportation of the body, complete all necessary paperwork, and implement the choices
made by the family regarding the funeral and final disposition of the body.
- Funeral directors are listeners, advisors and supporters. They have experience assisting
the bereaved in coping with death. Funeral directors are trained to answer questions about
grief, recognize when a person is having difficulty coping, and recommend sources of
professional help. Funeral directors also link survivors with support groups at the
funeral home or in the community.
Do
I have to have a funeral director?
- In most states, family members may bury their own dead although regulations vary.
However, most people find it very trying to be solely responsible for arranging the
details and legal matters surrounding a death.
Why have a public viewing?
- Viewing is part of many cultural and ethnic traditions. Many grief specialists believe
that viewing aids the grief process by helping the bereaved recognize the reality of
death. Viewing is encouraged for children, as long as the process is explained and the
activity voluntary.
What is the purpose of
embalming?
- Embalming sanitizes and preserves the body, retards the decomposition process, and
enhances the appearance of a body disfigured by traumatic death or illness.
- Embalming makes it possible to lengthen the time between death and the final
disposition, thus allowing family members time to arrange and participate in the type of
service most comforting to them.
Does the deceased have to be
embalmed, according to law?
- No. Most states, however, require embalming when death was caused by a reportable
contagious disease or when remains are to be transported from one state to another by
common carrier or if final disposition is not to be made within a prescribed number of
hours.
Isn't burial space becoming
scarce?
- While it is true some metropolitan areas have limited available cemetery space, in most
areas of the country, there is enough space set aside for the next 50 years without
creating new cemeteries. In addition, land available for new cemeteries is more than
adequate, especially with the increase in entombment and multi-level grave burial.
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