For peace of mind To personalize their funeral To reduce the emotional stress and financial burden of surviving family members. To provide for final expenses due to Medicaid regulations. To protect against rising funeral costs What is PrePlan™? PrePlan™ is a unique secured trust fund holding monies set aside for individuals' burial expenses. This special co-mingled trust was established in 1988 by the New York State Funeral Directors Association in order to provide a completely safe and competitive vehicle for funeral directors to place their clients' prefunded accounts. More information about PrePlan. PrePlan secure form. What purpose does a funeral serve? It is the customary way to recognize death and its finality. Funerals are recognized rituals for the living to show respect for the dead and to help survivors begin the grief process. What do funeral directors do? Funeral directors are caregivers and administrators. They make the arrangements for transportation of the body, complete all necessary paperwork, and implement the choices made by the family regarding the funeral and final disposition of the body. Funeral directors are listeners, advisors, and supporters. They have experience assisting the bereaved in coping with death. Funeral directors are trained to answer questions about grief, recognize when a person is having difficulty coping, and recommend sources of professional help. Funeral directors also link survivors with support groups at the funeral home or in the community. Click here for more information on "Funeral Service As A Career." Do you have to have a funeral director to bury the dead? In most states, family members may bury their own dead although regulations vary. However, most people find it very trying to be solely responsible for arranging the details and legal matters surrounding a death. Why have a public viewing? Viewing is part of many cultural and ethnic traditions. Many grief specialists believe that viewing aids the grief process by helping the bereaved recognize the reality of death. Viewing is encouraged for children, as long as the process is explained and the activity voluntary. What is the purpose of embalming? Embalming sanitizes and preserves the body, retards the decomposition process, and enhances the appearance of a body disfigured by traumatic death or illness. Embalming makes it possible to lengthen the time between death and the final disposition, thus allowing family members time to arrange and participate in the type of service most comforting to them. Does the deceased have to be embalmed, according to law? No. Most states, however, require embalming when death was caused by a reportable contagious disease, when remains are to be transported from one state to another by common carrier, or if final disposition is not to be made within a prescribed number of hours. Isn't burial space becoming scarce? While it is true some metropolitan areas have limited available cemetery space, in most areas of the country, there is enough space set aside for the next 50 years without creating new cemeteries. In addition, land available for new cemeteries is more than adequate, especially with the increase in entombment and multi-level grave burial. |
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