The journey of being a
caregiver can be exhausting and confusing. Caregivers are often left to make
many decisions for themselves and their loved one regarding end of life care.
One of the most important factors in addressing end of life issues is creating
a plan prior to an event or crisis.
As a funeral director,
I often meet with families that are unprepared for the decisions and plans they
are faced with. Many of them have never had a meaningful conversation about
their funeral wishes. This lack of planning forces survivors to make decisions
of necessity rather than decisions of choice. Unfortunately, this is sometimes
intensified by survivors that don’t have great working relationships with one
another or are emotionally and financially ill prepared to make appropriate
decisions. Losing a loved one is a difficult experience for anyone to go
through, but the weight of the loss can be lightened knowing we provided them
with their final wishes exactly as desired.
There are many
benefits to advance funeral planning:
1. Allows for many
urgent tasks and decisions to be handled before a time of emotional upheaval
2. Eliminates doubts
for survivors about funeral preferences and disputes about expenses
3. Provide peace of
mind that wishes are expressed
4. Ensures that
funeral expenses have been addressed
5. Allows for
necessary legal documents to be gathering and filed with a funeral professional
I encourage you to
have a meaningful conversation with a funeral professional to record personal
information, funeral preferences and plans related to funeral expenses. Many
people are unaware that they can make plans, record their wishes and learn
about the many funding options that are available. I believe the hardest part
of this process is making the call to talk to a professional. It takes a great
deal of energy to avoid something and often people find out it is easier than
they imagined. The most common things I hear at the end of a planning session
includes: “That was so much easier than I imagined”, “I had no idea that I
could make payments on my funeral”, “I feel so much better knowing that that
this will be easier for my children”.
Once again, I
encourage you to take the next step, make the call to set an appointment… I
would be honored to help you.
Julie Graf Skinner
Busch Funeral and
Crematory Services
Funeral Planning
Specialist
jgskinner@buschfuneral.com
440-333-9774
