Creating a Celebration of Life

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Creating a Celebration of Life
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Todays Goals

• To answer some of your funeral service questions
• The role of a funeral director
• Todays funeral options
• How to create a meaningful celebration of life
• Tips on preplanning

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Role of a Funeral Director

• To help people in their greatest time of need
• Listeners and Advisors
• Experienced source of support and guidance for
  families after the loss of a loved one
• Help families begin the healing process
• Provider of grief and bereavement resources

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Role of a Funeral Director

• To help people in their greatest time of need
• Tribute Planners
• Coordinate an event that honors your loved one
• Complete legal paperwork, coordinate doctors,
  ministers, florists, music, and others for the
  funeral service

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Role of a Funeral Director

• NFDA member funeral homes adhere to the highest
  ethical and moral standards by following a Code
  of Professional Conduct

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Importance of Funerals

• Provide family members and friends a caring and
  supportive environment in which to share thoughts
  and feelings about a loved one
• First step in the healing process
• An opportunity to laugh, cry, grieve and say a
  final goodbye

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Importance of Funerals

• A viewing of your loved one can help provide
  closure for the familyThere is a strong
  advantage to having the family members see the
  body of the deceased loved one In this way, the
  funeral service can be a strong asset in helping
  the survivors work through the first task of
  grief. -Victor M. Parachin, Grief Educator and
  author of Healing Grief

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Todays Funeral Options

• The choice of burial or cremation
• Both offer the same type of funeral services
• You can have a viewing and visitation with an
  open or closed casket (or no casket at all) for
  as long or as short a period as you wish for
  either choice

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Todays Funeral Options
Burial

• The casket is placed in a vault underground or
  in a mausoleum above ground
• Requires a cemetery plot or tomb, and headstone
  if desired

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Todays Funeral Options

• Full funeral service with a viewing is an option
  with cremation
• Some families choose to have a memorial service
• Cremated remains may be buried, held by the
  family, or scattered in a meaningful place if
  permitted (some choose more than one option)

Cremation
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Todays Funeral Options

• Diverse religions and traditions
• Each religion has different customs for funerals
• Your funeral director will coordinate all the
  unique details that respect the traditions of
  your religion, culture, or family custom

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Todays Funeral Options

• Personalizing the funeral service
• Creating a meaningful, personalized funeral to
  express the one-and-only life of your loved one
• Many different ways to create a meaningful
  celebration of life

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Creating a Meaningful Funeral

• Why create a meaningful funeral?
• Helps family and friends begin the healing
  process by remembering things your loved one
  enjoyed
• Surrounds you with things your loved one cherished

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Creating a Meaningful Funeral

• What makes a meaningful funeral?
• A memorable experience
• A service as unique and special as the individual
  being celebrated
• A reflection of personal values, interests, and
  experiences of your loved one
• Family traditions

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Creating a Meaningful Funeral

• Personal effects reminiscence
• Consider the uniqueness of your loved one
• Special qualities, passions, hobbies, past-times
• Use creative thinking to make an honorable
  representation of their life

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Creating a Meaningful Funeral

• Music
• Many services feature a mix of religious and
  secular music either performed live or recorded
  on a CD (some churches limit types of music - ask
  if you are unsure)
• Consider your loved ones favorite song or
  musical type as a selection
• Use music with lyrics that portray messages your
  loved one valued

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Creating a Meaningful Funeral

• Family friend involvement
• Family friends will be honored to be part of
  the service
• Being involved helps people through the grieving
  process
• Funeral directors can help you create an
  interactive experience for all in attendance

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Creating a Meaningful Funeral

• Speakers
• Choose readings with messages reflective of your
  loved ones life
• Have someone recite a poem
• Assign family members and friend to tell stories

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Creating a Meaningful Funeral

• Special touches
• Use candles and flowers with a color and scent
  reminiscent of your loved one
• Create photograph montages and include small
  meaningful artifacts
• If your loved one had a collection, put it on
  display

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Creating a Meaningful Funeral

• Mementos or remembrances
• Hand out small keepsakes that people can take
  with them in remembrance, for example
• A favorite candy
• An ornament
• A photo that can be framed

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Creating a Meaningful Funeral

• Memorials
• Be creative - do something that represents your
  loved one
• Ideas include planting a tree or flowers, or
  making a contribution to a charity or cause they
  would have supported

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Thinking Ahead

• Educate yourself
• Explore all funeral options
• Be an informed consumer
• Consider what is best for you and your family

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Thinking Ahead

• Thinking ahead means different things for
  different people
• Preplanning may be done on different levels
• Do what is comfortable for you and your family

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Thinking Ahead

• Levels of planning
• Write your wishes down somewhere and keep them
  in a safe place
• Discuss wishes with your family or a close friend
• Arrange a meeting with your funeral director to
  discuss your options and wishes
• If you choose, prepaying for the funeral is an
  available option

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Thinking Ahead

• Receive input from family and friends
• Be flexible allow for adjustments to be made
• Consider the emotions of family members

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Thinking Ahead

• Prepaying is an option
• Ensures the financial responsibility is not
  placed on family members
• Can eliminate the effects of inflation
• Your funeral director can arrange prepayment
  that will comply with state and federal
  Medicaid/Medicare requirements

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Thinking Ahead

• You dont have to prepay to preplan however, if
  you choose to
• The National Funeral Directors Associations
  Consumer Preneed Bill of Rights is a resource for
  understanding what to expect from a preneed
  contract
• Discuss your options with a funeral director
• Ask questions and be informed of all aspects
  before signing any document

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What Next?

• Resources you can count on
• NFDA funeral directors - we are here to help!
• National Funeral Directors Association www.nfda.o
  rg or 1-800-228-6332