Funeral Home Services You May not Know About
There is a misconception that funeral homes only offer specific services. For example, you may believe they only offer services directly related to the funeral such as burial or the chapel service. The truth is, many funeral homes offer several services that could benefit you. Here are some of those services and what you need to know about each one. Remember, these services are extensions of what the funeral home already offers.
Graveside Maintenance
If your funeral home has their own burial site, or if they work directly with a local cemetery, they may also offer graveside maintenance. This is a service that maintains the cemetery, the landscaping, and the graves. If something is broken they either notify you or fix it. The lawn is mowed and weeds are also removed. This may be referred to as perpetual care. This means that as long as the funeral home operates or works directly with the cemetery, then your gravesite and your loved ones' sites will be taken care of on a routine basis.
Donation Maintenance
It has become an increasingly popular option for people to request donations be sent to a charity or a fund of some kind. You'll see this listed as an in lieu of flowers request. If your loved one wants this done when they pass, you may be wondering how you will handle these donations in a careful and safe manner. Funeral homes tend to offer an option for this. They will accept the donations and forward them to the appropriate charity. They may also offer an option to cycle people wanting to donate directly to the donation site or help you set up an appropriate funding option.
Full Paperwork Administration
One of the last things you may want to deal with for your loved one's funeral, or for loved ones to deal with yours, is paperwork. It is surprising to many people just how much paperwork and legal papers are required for a simple passing on and funeral. Many funeral homes actually offer a full paperwork administration option. This means that all of the paperwork will be gathered by the funeral home. They will walk through it with you and have you sign the appropriate documents. They will then take those documents and file them for you. The fees for this are usually incorporated into the funeral cost or the pre-planning costs.
These are only a small sampling of the funeral home services you may not know about. If you want to explore what the funeral home of your choice may offer, contact your funeral director. They can discuss your current funeral plans, if pre-planning is an option, and what upgrades or other services may be ideal. Remember, they may also offer additional service for the gravesites of your loved ones. Make sure to ask about these options as well.
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