Trusting the professionals at this difficult time

Arranging the funeral of a loved one can be an onerous task. However, by putting your trust in the hands of a reputable funeral director when that most difficult of times comes around, you can be rest assured that they will take care of all aspects, with professionalism and sensitivity.

This will likely involve dealing with press and media notices, preparation of the body which, depending on the circumstances, may include embalming; making the necessary arrangements with the priest, minister or whoever you choose to carry out the service, as well as arranging with the cemetery, the grave diggers or crematorium, etc. The funeral director will also ensure that any guidelines or requests from the grieving family are adhered to.

The person may have left instructions about the type of funeral and burial they wanted and while there is no legal obligation for these instructions to be followed, they usually are.

You may choose to have the deceased waked at home or taken to a funeral home. Here again, the undertaker will advise. For the Mass or service, they will advise you on things such as church music - organist, singers etc., flowers if required, fees for the religious service, extra transport, catering arrangements, stationery, etc.

Then, when the burial or cremation is complete, there may be issues like arranging for a memorial to your loved one or, in the case of cremation, arrangements for the ashes to be distributed or disposed of in a fitting manner.

ASK IF UNSURE OF ANYTHING

If you arrange the funeral with a funeral director, you will of course be responsible for the costs. You may or may not wish to choose the coffin, but should ask to see a price list beforehand. It may be advisable to explain how much you have to spend and see what services are possible for that amount.

Once you’ve chosen the funeral, you should ask for a written estimate giving a breakdown of all of the costs involved. This will avoid any potential problems later and be sure to ask the funeral director about anything you may not understand.

Some funeral directors might ask for a deposit before making the funeral arrangements or you may be offered a discount to pay for the funeral before or soon after it takes place. If you know the money will be released at a later date to cover the cost, you might want to consider a bank loan or overdraft to pay early.

Money may be released later, if the person who has died made arrangements to pay for their funeral through an insurance policy, or if money is released after their estate has been dealt with.

If there is a legal claim for negligence against someone for the death, the cost of the funeral can be claimed as compensation.

Otherwise, you may agree payment by instalment, or pay after the legal process of dealing with the person’s estate has been settled.