What is the purpose of a funeral?
It is the customary way to recognize death and its finality. Funerals are recognized rituals for the living to show respect for the deceased and to help survivors begin the grieving process.
What do funeral directors do?
Funeral directors are caregivers and facilitators. They meet with the family to determine their needs and present to the family the range of choices that will reflect their wishes.
Funeral directors are listeners, advisors, and supporters. They assist the bereaved in coping with death. They are trained to answer questions about grief, and help link survivors with support groups in the community, and can recommend sources of professional help.
Why have a public viewing?
Many grief specialists believe that viewing aids families and friends with the grieving process, by helping the bereaved recognize the reality of death. Viewing is also helpful for children, as long as the process is explained, and the act of viewing voluntary.
What is the purpose of embalming?
The primary purpose of embalming is to allow the presentation of the deceased, to create an appropriate final memory of the loved one for the family and friends. The process also sanitizes and preserves the body, slows the decomposition process, and may enhance the appearance of a body that may have been disfigured by traumatic death or illness. Embalming also makes it possible to extend the time between death and final disposition, thereby allowing family members time to arrange and participate in the type of service most comforting to them.
Does a dead body have to be embalmed?
No. However, most states do require embalming under certain circumstances, typically if a person dies from a reportable contagious disease, or if the remains are to be transported from one state to another by common carrier, or if the final disposition is not made within a prescribed number of hours.
Is cremation a substitute for a funeral?
No. Cremation is an option for the final disposition of the human remains. It is possible to bury an urn just as a casket is typically buried. It is only an additional choice available to the family to decide based on their personal circumstances. It is still an option to have a wake or visitation and/or a funeral before or after cremation. Cremation provides a family with more flexible opportunities to honor their loved one.
What is included in the costs of a funeral?
The average funeral service typically includes a professional service charge, transfer of remains, embalming, and any other preparation, use of the viewing facilities, use of the facilities for any ceremony, hearse, limousine, and casket. Any vault, cemetery, and monument charges are additional.
Why are funerals so expensive?
When compared to other major life cycle events like births and weddings, funerals are not expensive. A wedding may cost between 3-5 times as much as a typical funeral, but because it is a happy event, wedding costs are rarely criticized.
A funeral home is a 24-hour, labor-intensive business, with extensive facilities (viewing rooms, chapel, limousines, hearses, etc.) These costs must be factored into the cost of each funeral. It also includes not only merchandise, like caskets, but also the services of the funeral director in making arrangements, filing appropriate forms; dealing with doctors, ministers, florists, newspapers, websites, and others organizations, while seeing to all the necessary details.
Is it right for Funeral Directors to make a profit?
Funeral directors look at their profession as a service and ministry, but it is also a business. Like any business, funeral homes must make a profit to exist. As long as the profit is reasonable and the services rendered are necessary, complete and satisfactory to the family, profit is legitimate. Every funeral director will have their own priorities and their own way of showing their appreciation in their communities.
What happens for funerals for the indigent?
Other than the family, there are veterans, unions, and other organizational benefits that may help pay for funerals for those without resources. In many states, some form of public aid allowances may be available, either from the state, county, city, or some combination of these governmental levels. Most funeral directors are aware of the various benefits and know how to obtain them for the indigent. However, funeral directors often absorb costs above and beyond what is provided by agencies to ensure that the deceased receives a respectable burial.