What to Expect from a Funeral Home

The funeral home has become the normal location for visitation, wakes, and even funeral services. The funeral home industry is regulated and that makes it a little easier for you to know what to expect. Dealing with death is traumatic enough for those that have been left behind. Working with a funeral home can help to ease some of the stress that comes with the challenge.

Top Expectations for the Funeral Home

• The funeral director can handle nearly everything. While the funeral director is there to assist in the process of planning and implementing the funeral, he or she will not be in a position to do everything that needs to be done. The family of the deceased will still have to take certain steps (like getting a death certificate or contacting the church where the family desires the service be performed).
• The funeral home has all the records for the burial. If the funeral was pre-planned at the funeral home then the funeral director should have the records on file. It is still a good idea for the family to carry a physical copy of the agreement to the funeral home when meeting with the funeral director.
• All of the costs will be included in the pre-paid funeral arrangements. The paperwork should show exactly what is included in the funeral arrangements. Additional items (like a guest registry book or bulletins for the service) will likely have an additional cost. A full list should be provided to you by the funeral home so that you can make your decisions with all the necessary information.
• The funeral home will be able to accommodate all reasonable requests. The funeral home does want to work with the grieving family, but not all requests may be manageable. The funeral home representative will help you make the best arrangements for the funeral service that is possible given the time, finances, and even location limitation.
• The funeral home will take care of the body or remains. The funeral home representative should make the necessary arrangements for the body once you have made initial contact. Once the body has arrived, the funeral home will take care to prepare the body for the funeral service. You will need to provide the final outfit for the deceased. You will also want to make any final requests about the appearance of the deceased (for instance, how the hair should be styled). The funeral home representative will help guide you through this process.

You will have a lot of questions and even more expectations when dealing with the aftermaths of a death. The more unexpected the loss, the more questions and expectations there will likely be. Take time to read all of the documents provided to you by the funeral home representative. If you do not think you are emotional capable of handling all the decisions, then take along a trusted family friend or support person.

The funeral home is there to help you through the process. It is important that you have the right expectations for what will be involved.