As you put together your funeral pre-plan, you'll want to find just the right funeral home to work with. This will be a place that can fulfill your final wishes and provide the services that your family will need after you have passed away. Most facilities offer the same basic services, but the following are some of the special ways that a funeral home can support you and your family.
Grief Support
Your family may need help dealing with the grief of their loss after you have passed away. Funeral homes can provide this support in a variety of ways.
Some funeral homes hire trained grief counselors to be on their staff. These professionals hold support groups where people discuss ways that they have dealt with their grief. They also offer individual sessions to those who need personal attention. The counselors may also have education sessions to talk about grief that are open to anyone from the community to attend.
Some facilities contract out their grief support to local professionals. These counselors usually offer group support and individual sessions, but they may be held in the therapist's office instead of at the funeral home.
Another approach is to refer your family to local groups that offer grief programs. These will include non-profit organizations and religious groups.
Communications and Media Support
Social networking has become an important tool for announcing a person's passing and to create memorials to remember them. If this is important to your family, seek out a funeral home that is active in social media. They will have staff who put together announcements to be posted on the various social media platforms. Some use various websites that allow the creation of a page devoted to your passing.
Administrative Support
At the same time that your family is grieving, they may need to file for insurance and military benefits. These applications are complicated and require more attention than your family may be ready to provide. Some funeral homes offer administrative support to families to help them complete and submit these applications. This will help your family to receive the benefits they may need at the time of your passing.
Environmentally Friendly Funeral Options
If you're interested in reducing the impact of your funeral on the environment, some funeral homes offer green funerals. This gives you a number of options, such as the following:
23 May 2016
When my father passed away a year ago, my mother didn't have any problems with the funeral or burial. My father planned his funeral in advance. He didn't want to burden my mom with any problems during her time of grieving. That hit me. I realized that I didn't have any plans for my own future, which would make it even harder on my wife and kids. So, I contacted a funeral home online and requested information about burial services. The funeral home provided me with many options that I could afford to pay over time or upfront. My wife also helped select burial plots for us because we didn't want to be separated — even after death. I encourage you to read through my blog. It offers great tips and advice on how to plan for your own future. Don't wait. You never know what life holds for you.