Thinking about how your family will deal with your death is never easy, but you need to prepare them. Planning a funeral takes time, money, and a lot of effort to put together. If you can ease the burden on your family in any way, it will help them to grieve and recover much quicker. From drafting your will to the finer details on flowers and the type of service you want, these aspects can be taken of while you are still around to help out.
Talk with Your Family
The first and most important thing is that you talk to your family about your final wishes. The conversation will undoubtedly be tough, but it will help everyone when the time comes. At a certain age, you need to think about your mortality, and discussing it with your loved ones will help you accept your own reality.
When you die, your family will be your advocates. They need to be aware of whether you want to be buried or cremated. Whether you want a church service, or something more spiritual, these questions are vitally important before liaising with a funeral director.
Cover the Financial Costs
Funerals are expensive. Planning your funeral will be tough enough on your family without having to worry about paying for it. Pre-planning is becoming more popular because people want to ensure that their last wishes are carried out. If you live in Canada, consider prearrangement with the funeral services of Ottawa.
The Funeral Co-operative of Ottawa Inc. has custom prearrangement plans in place where your final request will be kept on file. The company specialises in helping taking care of loved ones’ funeral arrangements so that their families have less to worry about. Their custom-made prearrangement plans allow you to lock in prices at a fixed rate so that your family won’t have to pay a cent.
Designate Someone You Trust
When it comes down to the final details of your funeral, there may be some things that your family will disagree on. To make this period easier on everyone, designate one person that will carry out your wishes exactly as you want them. Generally, this is your spouse or closest relative, yet it can be anyone that you trust to make the tough decisions. There is a legal hierarchy in place of who should ideally be the power of attorney; however, it is your choice ultimately.
Provide the designated person with all the legal documentation including your will and a detailed list of your funeral wishes. Include every detail, right down to the music that you want to be played. When it comes down to it, your family may not know if they have made the right decision, so having someone in charge will help with all the funeral arrangements.
If you are over the age of 50, then you should have already started making plans for your funeral. It’s a reality that no one can escape, but discussing your arrangements with your family will make the process easier on everybody in the long run.
