We plan for every aspect of life.
Having a family, vacations, weddings, retirement - all are planned. We prepare for
what might happen, such as fires, accidents or floods. But, because most of us do
not like to think about death, we avoid making important funeral decisions in advance.
Family members making funeral arrangements immediately following a death
often are confused and upset. Just when they are struggling to cope with their grief,
they must also attend to the details of a visitation and funeral and begin adjusting
to life without the person who died. It is often difficult for families to make all
the decisions necessary when the moment is so charged with grief and trauma.
Planning
your funeral ahead of time can remove some of the emotional burden from your family.
There are many decisions to be made when arranging a funeral. We often have special
wishes as to where to be buried, who is to receive our personal effects, and how
we are to be memorialized. Making these decisions today, with the help of those close
to you, permits you to tend to every detail and allows you to make logical, well
thought out plans, which your family will appreciate.
It's easy to say, "Don't
make a fuss. I don't want a ceremony. Just bury me and be done with it." But
it is important to realize that the ritual of a funeral and/or memorial service isn't
for the deceased but for the living. It is a time when friends and family can gather
together to grieve openly and to provide support for one another. Pre-planning can
be a great act of consideration for every member of your family ...and leaving your
requests flexible can allow survivors to make appropriate arrangements for the fulfillment
of their own emotional needs.
Pre-planning your funeral can be very informal
such as following our pre-planning check list and sharing your
wishes with a family member. More formal arrangements in the form of a pre-need contract
can be set up with a Heritage funeral director and can be pre-funded. Pre-planning,
when done properly, can give you peace of mind knowing that your arrangements are
ready and pre-funded.
In addition, there are sound financial reasons for
planning ahead. Many people pre-fund their arrangements in order to relieve loved
ones of a future financial and emotional burden. By fully funding the funeral, the
benefit to you is the ability to freeze funeral costs at today’s prices, and avoid
future price increases due to inflation. Pre-funding protects your assets to be sure
you have funds available to pay for your funeral. Funds used for advance funeral
planning can be considered exempt assets when applying for Medicaid or SSI benefits.
Every year more and more families choose to make their funeral arrangements in advance
at Heritage Funeral Home. If you would like more information, please call
(845)526-3000 or E-mail us.
By pre-planning
your funeral with Heritage Funeral Home, you can make all the arrangements
during a time of peace and not leave them to your family during their time of grief.
You can control the cost of your funeral and protect your insurance so that it provides
for your survivors and not just for funeral expenses.
We encourage you to
use the Pre-Planning Form to make your wishes known in advance.
You may then chose to discuss your plans with us, or just have us keep them on file.
In either case, please let your family know your wishes.
