When a person passes from this earth it is often thought that the family should step up and make the hard decisions such as place of burial, funeral or cremation; however many families don't have the support system needed to make such big decisions and that is when an advocate is such a big help.
So if this process seems too overwhelming families may ask for help from their clergy, friends, and even a family therapist can help. When shock of the death is all too consuming this would be a great time to call in for help, however you do have time. If you can manage to have the support of many family members involved in the planning of a memorial service or funeral it can provide an opportunity for the family to deal with the reality of the death and to comfort one another and those in the community.
A funeral service is where the body of a loved one is present in a casket which can be opened or closed. This service is held before the burial and can either be private or open to the public. The best way to choose a funeral home is first to determine your budget, and then location is a big factor- the burial plot does not have to be close to the funeral home. You may also get recommendations from friends who have had to go through this process already.
A memorial service is where the body is not present and usually involves just immediate family. Many memorial services are planned by the family and does not involve a funeral director.
Your loved one might qualify for military honors if he/she served during a time of war and was honorably discharged form the military so make sure if this is the case you let your advocate know. The advocate should assist with getting a chaplain, bugler, honor guard and gun salute. A United States flag may also be draped over the top of the casket.
When working with your advocate, make sure you agree on a date for the services before contacting family from out of state. Your advocate will then verify the time and date with the location you chose to have services at. If you are doing a private service your advocate will still have to verify times and permission especially if it is on public property such as a golf course, public park...
If the person getting ready to pass away is a home there may be a constant blur of activity with people calling or stopping by, assign someone to take charge of the house, making sure the patients needs are met and not over "visited". It would also be a good idea if there was a lot of traffic from friends and family if a journal or guest book could be placed by the door for thoughts, something that can be created for a memory book for the patient.
An advocate is like a wedding planner; they take into consideration your wishes and run with the "to-do" so you don't have to. When a person dies however if takes far more consideration from the advocate as to what to include in a service because the persons left behind are in a state of disarray so one of the best things you can do is hand over any photos, videos, or memorabilia that you want for sure used in the service so that she can include these in her planning of your service.
If you do not want big services but just a burial, or cremation an advocate can find out. The advocate can also advise you about legal matters but most do not have the legal background to draw up any documents such as transferring title of property or being an executor for will and trusts.
Advocates can do as little or as much as you ask and or of course what you pay them to do. If you have no wisdom in the matters of burying someone and the services that follow ask for some guidelines but only commit to that which you can afford because advocates services just like a funeral can be vast and expensive.
So if this process seems too overwhelming families may ask for help from their clergy, friends, and even a family therapist can help. When shock of the death is all too consuming this would be a great time to call in for help, however you do have time. If you can manage to have the support of many family members involved in the planning of a memorial service or funeral it can provide an opportunity for the family to deal with the reality of the death and to comfort one another and those in the community.
A funeral service is where the body of a loved one is present in a casket which can be opened or closed. This service is held before the burial and can either be private or open to the public. The best way to choose a funeral home is first to determine your budget, and then location is a big factor- the burial plot does not have to be close to the funeral home. You may also get recommendations from friends who have had to go through this process already.
A memorial service is where the body is not present and usually involves just immediate family. Many memorial services are planned by the family and does not involve a funeral director.
Your loved one might qualify for military honors if he/she served during a time of war and was honorably discharged form the military so make sure if this is the case you let your advocate know. The advocate should assist with getting a chaplain, bugler, honor guard and gun salute. A United States flag may also be draped over the top of the casket.
When working with your advocate, make sure you agree on a date for the services before contacting family from out of state. Your advocate will then verify the time and date with the location you chose to have services at. If you are doing a private service your advocate will still have to verify times and permission especially if it is on public property such as a golf course, public park...
If the person getting ready to pass away is a home there may be a constant blur of activity with people calling or stopping by, assign someone to take charge of the house, making sure the patients needs are met and not over "visited". It would also be a good idea if there was a lot of traffic from friends and family if a journal or guest book could be placed by the door for thoughts, something that can be created for a memory book for the patient.
An advocate is like a wedding planner; they take into consideration your wishes and run with the "to-do" so you don't have to. When a person dies however if takes far more consideration from the advocate as to what to include in a service because the persons left behind are in a state of disarray so one of the best things you can do is hand over any photos, videos, or memorabilia that you want for sure used in the service so that she can include these in her planning of your service.
If you do not want big services but just a burial, or cremation an advocate can find out. The advocate can also advise you about legal matters but most do not have the legal background to draw up any documents such as transferring title of property or being an executor for will and trusts.
Advocates can do as little or as much as you ask and or of course what you pay them to do. If you have no wisdom in the matters of burying someone and the services that follow ask for some guidelines but only commit to that which you can afford because advocates services just like a funeral can be vast and expensive.
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