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Choosing A Funeral Home Based On Future Services You Might Need

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When pre-planning your funeral, you'll be concerned with the kind of funeral service to have and where you'll be buried. But keep in mind that your family will be the ones to make your plan happen. There could be special circumstances at the time of your passing which create some challenges for your family. Here are some of the services you should look for in a funeral home to ease the burden on your family when the day comes to follow your plan.

Transportation Services

If you should pass away out of the country, will the funeral home make the arrangements to have your body flown back home? Or will it be the responsibility of your family to get your body released and delivered to the funeral home?

Restoration Services

If you plan to have a viewing but your passing was due to a disfiguring accident or illness, does the funeral home have the facilities and staff to do the reconstruction? Or will you family need to work with another facility to have this done?

Grief Counseling

Your family will be under a lot of stress and may need some emotional support during this time. Does the funeral home have professional grief counselors or do they work with local support groups? Even if the facility has no internal grief counseling program, they should have trained staff to work with your family to help them understand the options they have for getting support.

Benefits Assistance

Does the funeral home have people who will help your family file for life insurance or veteran's benefits? These can require complicated applications. Some facilities offer services to get the paperwork ready for your family to send in.

Communication with the Funeral Home

Will the funeral home assign a single point of contact for your family to work with? Or will they have to work with various individuals to execute your funeral plan? It will be more convenient and less confusing for your family if they can rely on one person to help them through the process.

The Change Process

It may happen that your funeral plans can't be executed exactly as you specified. How easy will it be for your family to make last minute changes in your plan? If you're going to pre-pay for your funeral, how will the funeral home handle the additional costs with your family? Understand how the funeral home manages changes so you'll be comfortable that your family will be supported.

Make sure the funeral home you work with has all of the services covered that your family may need. This takes some of the burden off of them during this emotionally stressful time. Contact a company like Gillies Funeral Chapel for more information.


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