March 2000

What Determines the Cost of a Funeral?

Many factors determine the cost of a funeral. Just as with other life rituals such as weddings, funeral charges depend on how elaborate or how simple a ceremony the family or the individual chooses. The funeral director will provide a price list and a description of the many available options during the first family meeting, or when an individual is preplanning a funeral.

It is entirely up to the family or individual to make the funeral selections that will best meet their expectations. Nowadays, funerals are becoming more personalized to celebrate the life and memorialize the loved one in very special ways.

In addition to the basic elements of removing the deceased from the place of death at all times of the day or night and caring for the body, the funeral director arranges all details of the funeral which may include:

• helping families tailor the services to meet their emotional and economic needs

• contacting clergy and arranging an appropriate time and place for the services

• writing and distributing obituaries

• contacting the cemetery/crematory, sexton, florists, fraternal organizations, memorial gift organizations

• working cooperatively with organ donation teams

• preparing all legal documents (death certificates, burial transit/cremation permits, medical examiner certificates, reports of death for social security and Veterans Administration benefits, and in some instances filing insurance paperwork)

• providing an emotionally and spiritually comforting environment for visitation and life celebration services

• transporting family and friends in a funeral procession to the place of final disposition

• referring families to local grief counseling services such as Hospice

When a family is grieving, it would be difficult for them to accomplish all the details of the funeral service and end-of-life matters that are taken care of by the funeral director. The funeral director, who is licensed and specially trained, provides quiet support to the family during a time of great emotional stress, and attends to all aspects of the funeral service in a professional and caring way.

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