Funeral Homes: A End and a Beginning

Learn More About Pre-Arranged Funeral Services To Plan Better

Grief is never easy, but when the deceased took the time to pre-plan their final arrangements, at least some of the burden is taken off the shoulders of an already overwhelmed family. While this option is widely available, some people do not take advantage of this opportunity due to a lack of knowledge. Learn why this process is such a gift to your loved ones and how you can prepare your funeral arrangements.

What Is Included

It is helpful to learn more about what is generally involved in the pre-planning phase so that you can determine to what extent you want to plan and how you should financially prepare for the process. 

Generally, these arrangements include body preparation details, including embalming, standard funeral service planning, and casket selection and/or cremation steps. If the funeral home is connected to a cemetery, you can also sometimes include the burial and headstone as part of the plan. Keep in mind; you can pick whichever items to pre-plan as you'd like. 

Pre-Plan vs. Prepaid

Understand that pre-arrangement services often come with one of two options; pre-plan or prepaid. When you go with a pre-plan option, you are doing just as it sounds, you are planning your final arrangements and selecting everything you want to include. The funeral home then keeps this information on file, you let your family know which funeral home your plans are with, and upon your death, the family will pay for these plans.

When you prepay, you plan and pay for the entire cost of your final plans. The funeral home also keeps this information on file, but all your family has to do is notify the funeral home when you pass, and the funeral home will ensure that all the plans are executed.

Family Involvement

A sometimes-overlooked part of the process is the family involvement component. It is always a good idea to think about what level of involvement that your family would want to have in the process. 

For example, if your spouse has discussed that they would like to plan your final service, you can pre-pay for the service, but maybe not plan out the funeral service so that your spouse has this opportunity. When it comes to this part of the process, there is no right or wrong. It is best to think about how your family would like to be involved and go from there.

Keep all of these factors in mind as you begin your pre-planning phase. A funeral professional will be able to go into more detail and assist you further with the process, so be sure to ask any questions you have.

Contact a funeral home, such as Arehart-Echols Funeral Home, to start planning your funeral arrangements.


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