The grief of dealing with the death of a loved one is inexplicable.
Now, the experience can be different for different people, but one thing that everyone will relate to is arranging for an honourable final goodbye for their loved one. And funeral homes can help fulfill this purpose.
However, there are some important factors to consider before booking one so that it doesn’t add to your distress.
4 Things To Be Aware Of About A Funeral Home
1. Buying Caskets From The Funeral Home Isn’t Mandatory
Many funeral homes in the country facilitate purchasing “in-house” caskets for convenience, especially for viewing during the funeral process. But it would be wrong to think that this purchase won’t add to their profit.
Besides, buying a casket will be a pointless expenditure if you’ve decided to cremate your deceased loved one. In such cases, you can opt for a rented casket for viewing.
These caskets are unlike the traditional ones and don’t come with locks or handles. You should speak to the funeral service director beforehand to confirm this facility.
2. You Can Customize The Funeral
While you’d definitely want to honour your loved one in the best way possible, understand that following every tradition can become overwhelming. And that’s nothing to feel guilty about.
As such, you can customize the funeral process to make it more convenient for the people to attend and conduct. Don’t give in to the idea of opting for add-on services unless they serve an actual purpose and fit into your budget.
For instance, choosing full-fledged catering services may only make sense if you have a lot of attendees arriving from farther distances. Otherwise, you may keep simple refreshment arrangements.
3. Embalming Isn’t Always Necessary
Contrary to what you may have heard, embalming isn’t a mandated pre-funeral process, at least not in all parts of the country. You can opt-out of it if the body is to be cremated or directly buried.
That said, most funeral homes will tell you that embalming is necessary for viewing to keep the body from decaying. But again, viewing itself isn’t compulsory.
However, a few Canadian provinces have passed legislation for embalming the body in case the burial or cremation will take place 72 hours or later post-death.
4. Not Every Crematory Is Inspected Annually
Not all crematoriums in the country are inspected regularly to verify regulatory compliance. Hence, you should ask the funeral home about the crematorium they use and ask for a valid proof of regular inspection, if possible. This should also be followed for funeral homes that have built-in crematoriums.
Final Words
Although coping with the death of a loved one is an extremely traumatic process, take some time to check the funeral home or its services. Consider speaking to the funeral director or visually inspecting the funeral home to resolve all your queries before booking it.