Having The Talk of a Lifetime
As a society it’s common to celebrate and honor births and birthdays. But have you paused to consider how you might honor your passing, or that of a loved one?
When it comes to funerals there is a process that can guide you and your loved ones to have these discussions before death, and it’s called pre-planning. Pre-planning of funeral arrangements allows you to make arrangements in advance so that your loved ones know your wishes.
What is pre-planning?
Funeral preplanning is a way to document your final wishes for your funeral services in advance. Each decision made in advance eases the burden on your family needing to plan for your arrangements at the time of death.
Reasons to pre-plan funeral services
When a loved one passes away it can help reduce stress and confusion if you know their wishes, so that family and friends can begin to grieve without the extra added pressure of planning the arrangements. Preplanning or discussing wishes with your loved ones can create peace of mind and eliminate questions or concerns.
Preplanning a funeral allows you the time to make the choices that are best for you and your loved ones. After the planning is complete, many have shared that they feel a sense of relief by having their wishes documented and prepared. An Advance Planning Specialist will get to know you and have a conversation about what matters uniquely to you, ensuring your arrangements will honor your wishes. There are many ways in which you can be honored, and an Advance Planning Specialist can help you consider all of the options at that time.
Another reason that many people pre-plan their funeral is to prepay for services which essentially allows you to lock in agreed upon rates, so that you can better manage your finances, ensuring that your arrangements will be paid for, and to avoid increased costs later.
How to start the conversation
If you’re looking to explore this conversation with your loved ones there is a great resource created by The Funeral and Memorial Information Council, called Have the Talk of a Lifetime. This resource guides families through meaningful conversations about what matters most.
These conversations are about more than end-of-life planning—they can also help you see your loved ones in a more positive light, teach valuable lessons, and give a clearer picture of the things they love. Talking about what matters most through these conversations can begin any time, and it does not need to begin when someone you care for is at the end of their life.
Start anytime, anywhere, with a question, or maybe a photo or memory that you’d like to explore with your loved ones. These topics can help you learn more about your loved ones and gain a new perspective, bring you closer together, and help reaffirm to them how much you love them.
When you transition into conversations about end-of-life planning, it is important to remember that each decision made in advance eases the burden on the family as they are grieving. This process documents the final wishes for the funeral services in advance. You can preplan your funeral privately, or with an Advanced Planning Specialist to ensure all key decisions are made.
For more information about preplanning arrangements for you or a loved one, visit: www.ryanfuneralservice.com/funeral-preplanning.