Page 25 - Direct Publishing - Bereavement Guide

What should I do when a death form and colors. Restoration is often referred to your family, and you will gain peace of mind place the funds into a trust account at this time.
occurs? as the artistic element of the embalming knowing your family and friends will be There are two types of trust accounts, irrevoca-

Whether sudden or anticipated, call your funer- process. relieved of the emotional and financial burden ble and revocable.
al home of choice. A funeral director is availa- often associated with making arrangements
ble 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including Is embalming required by law? when a death occurs. if pre-funding your funer- Both types of trust accounts can be transferred
holidays. They will guide according to your Embalming is not requied by law. It is, howev- al, some funeral homes guarantee their funeral from one funeral home to another. Pre-need
individual situation. er, generally required to allow long delays home charges, while others may not. trust accounts in a majority of cases are irrevo-
between death and the funeral. A funeral home cable.
Can your funeral home conduct a may require embalming for open casket view- Are there different types of pre-need
funeral service in another location? ing during the funeral process. It effectively arrangements? This is as a result of an individual requiring
Yes. Many funeral homes will allow another protects funeral workers, family members and As opposed to at-need arangements, when the long term care, and is at the point of applying
funeral director access to their facilities for the friends alike from a wide range of potential death has already occurred, there are several for Medicaid coverage. An irrevocable trust
convenience of serving the family. hazards, and removes unpleasant ch\nges reasons why families choose to make pre-need account can only be used for the funeral of the
caused to the body by death. Embalming is arrangements. Often, when a loved one is in a beneficiary of the trust account. The trust
What if a death occurs in another required when final disposition is in another terminal state, and a family is referred to a account can be transferred to another funeral
state/town? country. Funeral directors must adhere to the hospice care, pre-need arrangements are made. home, but can never be revoked. A certified

Upon notification of the death, call your local requirements of the receiving country, and will death certificate of the beneficiary is the only
funeral home of choice. Your funeral director obtain such requirements from the nearest local Though the reality of the impending loss is very way the funds can be obtained. A prudent indi-
will be able to make the necessary arrange- embassy of that country. difficult to adjust to, the funeral director will vidual, not needing Medicaid, can also estab-
ments to transfer the deceased from the place of gently guide the family in planning the funeral. lish a pre-need arrangement and place the funds
death to the lcoal funeral home’s care. This What options are available besides A family in this situation will have the option to into a revocable trust account for themselves or
relives the family of the stress and financial ground burial? another family member.
burden of dealing with multiple funeral homes. Besides ground burial, a family may choose to
Your funeral director can and will coordinate have an entombment, placing of the casket in
everything for you. an above ground enclosure, or cremation.

Why are public viewings important? Can I still have a funeral service with
Viewing the deceased allows family and friends the body present if I choose crema-
to begin the process of acceptance. Seeing the tion?
deceased does not increase the pain, on the con- Yes, cremation, as in burial or entombment is a
trary, in most cases it actually minimizes the form of final disposition. Cremation is very
disbelief, fantasies and often distorted images much a part of the traditional funeral process.
that are present when death occurs. Grief coun- There may or may not be a wake, a funeral
selors recognize the importance of the funeral service is either in a place of worship or at the
and the viewing of the deceased in facilitating funeral home. Following the service, the
the acceptance of a death. In the opinion of deceased is taken to the place of final disposi-
many grief professionals, families that are tion, the crematory. Some families will accom-
deprived of the opportunity to memoralize and pany the deceased to the crematory for a final
visualize the deceased have more of a difficult committal, much as it is performed in a ceme-
time with grief and the grieving process. tery, while others choose not to. The cremated
remains become available to the family on
What is embalming? average 3 to 5 days following cremation.
It is the process of chemically treating the
deceased human body, using the circulatory Why should I pre-arrange my funeral
system. This is done in order to achieve disin- or burial?
fection, sanitations, preservation and restora- When you plan ahead, you will be able to con-
tion. It temporarily interrupts organic decom- sider the many options available. The opportu-
position and restores a physical appearance of nity will be there to make an informed decision
natural form and color. Restoration in embalm- about the funeral, the type of service and final
ing focuses on the physical presentation of the disposition of burial, entombment or crema-
deceased, and aims to recreate a naturalness of tion. The choices will be meaningful to you and

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