You have lost a loved one and it has left you very upset. You may feel like immediately taking some time to yourself to grieve on your own. However, if requested in the deceased’s will, you may have to take steps to plan their funeral.
There are many different funeral homes to choose from and there may be similarities between them, making it a difficult process.
However, there are some differences and you need to ensure you choose one that will meet and be understanding of your needs. Below are factors to consider when choosing a funeral home.
1. Space
When planning a funeral for your loved one, you want the size of the home to be just right. Too small of an area means people will be cramped and this will be uncomfortable for people who attend to pay their respects. A space too large may not give the level of intimacy a visitation should have.
Before settling on a funeral home, confirm that they have a room that will be the right size for the funeral. While it may be difficult to gauge how many people will be attending the service, see if the funeral home has options to open up other areas if many people attend and the room suddenly gets too small.
2. Staff
The staff at the funeral home will be the ones preparing your loved one for the service, greeting and assisting guests, and addressing any issues that may arise. Therefore, you must be comfortable with them.
When meeting with the funeral home initially, pay attention to the attitudes and mannerisms of the staff. They should be warm, receptive, and sympathetic to the situation that you are in. Your loved one deserves a nice service planned by caring staff and if the funeral home you are visiting cannot provide this, consider other options.
3. Type of service
If your loved one left instructions about their wishes regarding their funeral, you must do whatever is in your power to comply with them. If not instructions were left, you need to plan a service that is reflective of the life your loved one lead and the type of person he/she was. In either situation, the funeral home needs to be able to assist you.
The funeral home that you choose should be able to offer cremation or burial services depending on the wishes of your loved one. If you want printed obituaries or a video or slideshow memorializing your loved one to play during the service, the funeral home also needs to be able to have the resources to do so.
4. Cultural or religious needs
If your loved one lead their life according to a specific culture or religion, this most certainly needs to be reflected and represented at their funeral. Even if you do not know how to go about this, the funeral home is used to hosting services of all different types. Therefore, they should be able to help you.
Before settling on a funeral home, confirm that they are able to respect your requests to base the funeral service on the traditions of the deceased’s culture or religion. For example, a member of the Jewish faith needs to be buried within 24 hours. Therefore, the funeral home needs to respect this and work within this timeframe. For a Catholic service, a Prayer Vigil may need to occur in the funeral home if it can be done nowhere else. If this is the case, you need to confirm that the funeral home can accommodate this request.
