Thoughts on choosing a funeral director
Do you want to feel that you are the only family being cared for by the funeral home you have chosen?
Do you expect the see the same person from the time your family member is transferred from where they die to the farewell and honouring of a life – the same person arranging the funeral also there at any viewings at the funeral home and on the day of the funeral service?
Do you want the funeral home you use to be New Zealand owned?
Manning Funeral Cottage in Newmarket can answer a resounding ‘‘yes’’ to the above three questions, but unfortunately the same cannot be said for many funeral homes in Auckland or New Zealand-wide nowadays.
Martha-Louise Asmus of Manning Funeral Cottage points to the alarming trend of overseas buy- outs of funeral homes.
‘‘Whether it be a company once known for their Catholic funerals or one that has been in Auckland for many years, families are often astounded to hear that their ownership is now in Australian hands,’’ she says.
‘‘Families need to know these things as dynamics do change.’’
Companies have become so big that the personal touch has been lost as some funeral homes resemble corporations, more concerned with numbers than people.
Martha-Louise believes it is vital that families maintain that continuity with the funeral director, that they feel comfortable in the knowledge that the funeral director they see at the hospital or rest home will be guiding them through their difficult and often heartbreaking journey.
‘‘I know from my own experience of working for large corporate style funeral homes that being required to take over a funeral on the day for another funeral director is one of the hardest things,’’ she says.
‘‘There is no rapport or previous connection, and that is why families need to feel safe in the hands of the same person.’’
‘‘However, this will always happen at the Manning Funeral Cottage,’’ she promises.
If you wish to chat to MarthaLouise, she may be contacted on 377 9790, by emailing her on mla@manningfunerals.net.nz or visiting www.manningfunerals.net.nz.