The fact of life, ironically, is death. We are all destined to die at some point. 158 493 deaths occurred in Australia during 2018. Unfortunately, death can rarely be predicted accurately, therefore, it pays to begin making funeral plans as early as possible.
Wisely, some people choose to begin preparing for their or another’s funeral and end of life care, even while they are still alive. Particularly, if they have received some bad news about their life expectancy.
Is It Wrong to Make Funeral Plans Before Death?
It is not unusual for people to be wary about preplanning their funerals. The most common questions that arise are often about the morality of planning for one’s death.
What you have to remember is that many people don’t save enough for their retirement, let alone taking care of their funeral plans and associated costs. Planning a funeral allows your family to act on final wishes with confidence, knowing that’s what the person wanted and have enough to pay for it.
Here are some things to consider when arranging a funeral for someone who is dying:
Medical Prognosis
If your loved one is suffering from a life limiting ailment, their medical prognosis will inform the family about the likely course of their illness and how long they can expect to live. You can maximise this time with them by holding a memorial service or living funeral that they can be a part of.
Their Dying Wishes
Depending on their physical and mental capacity, a dying person may sometimes wish to be involved in their own funeral arrangements.
‘But if we can put some thought into our funerals ahead of time, funeral directors say we could be giving an incredible gift to our grieving loved ones,’ SBS reports.
What about a Preplanned Funeral?
Although it can be a difficult subject to think about while alive, believe it or not, now might be the perfect time to start planning a funeral. More often than not, we end up leaving our loved ones with a massive bill when we die.
A preplanned funeral is the process of preparing one’s last rites before passing away. It’s simply the process of organising everything you want for your funeral and creating a funeral financing strategy.
This often involves prepaying for your funeral in instalments. Depending on you or your family’s wishes, the funeral experiences may include costs of an urn or casket, the obituary notice, the service, a headstone and even any end of life care you receive in your final days.
These funeral plans can be done at any time and offer many advantages for both the person to be buried and their family members. Remember, funerals often cost thousands of dollars because they have to be planned and executed in a short period, so it makes sense to plan now.
Benefits of Making Funeral Plans in Advance
Here are some benefits that a prepaid funeral plan affords you:
1. Save You Money in the Long Run
By paying for your funeral plans now, you can avoid having to saddle your loved ones with an even bigger bill when you’re gone. Since most funeral plans are locked at today’s prices regardless of whether you pay at once or in instalments, your loved ones are protected from price increases in the future.
2. Pay in Instalments
Prepaid funerals allow you to pay for your funeral in instalments, taking the burden of having to pay a considerable lump sum off your loved ones’ shoulders after you pass away.
3. Unburden Your Family
The passing of a loved one can leave the friends and family of the deceased vulnerable and ill prepared. By making these preparations for them, you can rest assured that your family will be protected financially after your passing.
Consider a Living Funeral
There is an alternative to preplanning your funeral. A living funeral is a funeral held for someone still alive but usually has limited time to live. Holding a living funeral can help save money as you don’t have to pay for some aspects as you would a traditional funeral. These include the coffin or casket, a cemetery plot or a crematorium.
The soon to be deceased person is also given the opportunity to say a few last words (if they have capacity) and say goodbye.
What Are Living Funeral Plans?
A living funeral plan is the process of preparing a loved one’s last rites and holding a funeral or memorial service before they pass away. Organising a funeral before they pass away can really help you create an effective financing strategy. A living funeral doesn’t just let them plan out their final rites but also allows them to be a part of the funeral.
Although it can be a difficult subject to think about while your loved one is still alive, believe it or not, now might be the perfect time to start planning how they will be interred. Not only does this involve them in the process but it also helps the family come to terms with their impending demise.
Living funerals also give the family time to bond and connect, which is something most people wish for after their loved one has passed, when it’s too late. It offers that beautiful last minute chance to really connect with your friend or family member. Which is not just useful for you but is invaluable for the person passing away.
‘Even at the end of life we can still discover new things about ourselves and about what we believe and how we express those beliefs, and that is of incredible value,’ states Professor Clare Johnson, Director of the Centre for Liturgy.
When people are close to the end of their life, those supporting them are left to make a lot of hard decisions. The period after losing them can leave us distraught and vulnerable and there are many positives to arranging a funeral before someone dies.
If you need help making plans, get in touch with family owned and operated, Whitsunday Funerals and Crematorium.