Many who have gone through the stress of arranging a funeral, often only hours after their loved one’s death, understand all the decisions and the emotional toll those decisions can have. This is when many people make the decision to pre-plan their own funeral, relieving decision-making pressure at a time of grief and emotional stress.
Funeral arrangements are a deeply personal choice. Pre-planning provides you with the time needed to make practical, detailed decisions that reflect your standards, lifestyle, taste and budget.
Pre-Planning your end of life celebration is a very personal decision. However, it is also one that your family should be a part of arranging. It is important to understand that the family you leave behind will be the ones dealing with the loss. The Celebration of Life is about you but it is for your family and friends. Funerals are more for the living than the deceased. A funeral service, in whatever form you choose to have, is a part of the grieving process that is necessary for healing by taking small steps forward acknowledging and honoring the significance of your life and your death.
Funeral planning is just that, planning a service of remembrance. Funeral services can be different things to different people and therefore there are many different options. This makes it very important to put some ideas down on paper and share them with family and loved ones. When your family knows what you want they can honour your wishes.
Pre-planning can be done at home with family, or you can stop in at the funeral home and talk to a director who will go through the options and services available. Family can be actively involved in the service or the funeral home can take care of as many details as you wish. There are many details to a funeral service, each is tailored to the individual.
Pre-planning also has a payment option as well. Many people are now choosing to have their funeral service pre-paid, making it even easier for family left behind. Having everything looked after financially can make things a lot less stressful when the time comes. Hanson’s does not take pre-paid funeral plans. Instead, we deal with funeral insurance companies who are experts in the field. Assurant Life – better known to many as Canada Purple Shield and Sun Life Financial are two options families have when deciding on funding a pre-paid service. It is hard to anticipate all the costs involved in a service so talking with a funeral director first can give an idea of what the costs might be, which is dependent upon what the family wishes for the service. Hanson’s can then get you in contact with a pre-paid service provider who will discuss options of payment and how to best maximize the use of pre-paid funds.
If pre-paid services are not for you, that does not mean the financial aspect of a funeral cannot be taken care of. Funds may be set aside in a special account where family members can access it when the time of need arises. All the pre-planning can still be done with Hanson’s, the financial aspect simply remains with family. Choosing to keep your money where you can invest it is an option that many families choose. The important thing it to let family know there is money set aside. The amount can be tailored to suit your service of choice and interest rates normally take care of inflation of funeral costs.
So in the end, pre-planning is a great opportunity to talk to family about your wishes and the pass those wishes and requests on to the funeral home so all can be prepared when the need arises. If you are considering pre-planning you are ahead of many people. Just having a conversation about a funeral service can open up communication with family. Something as simple as letting loved ones know if you prefer casket burial or cremation can make time of need decisions so much easier. Family want to honour your wishes, give them some information so they can do so.
Some helpful links:
https://www.assurantlife.ca/canada-purple-shield
https://www.sunlife.ca/E/search/agent/default.asp?AID=106403731066399624953