Frequently
Asked Questions…
Funeral & Burial Questions
What purpose does a funeral serve?
It is the customary way to recognize death and its finality.
Funerals are recognized rituals for the living to show
respect for the dead and to help survivors begin the
grief process.
What do funeral directors do?
Funeral directors are caregivers and administrators.
They make the arrangements for transportation of the
body, complete all necessary paperwork, and implement
the choices made by the family regarding the funeral
and final disposition of the body. Funeral directors
are listeners, advisors and supporters. They have experience
assisting the bereaved in coping with death. Funeral
directors are trained to answer questions about grief,
recognize when a person is having difficulty coping,
and recommend sources of professional help. Funeral
directors also link survivors with support groups at
the funeral
home or in the community.
Do you have to have a funeral director to bury the
dead?
In most states, family members may bury their own dead
although regulations vary. However, most people find
it very trying to be solely responsible for arranging
the details and legal matters surrounding a death.
Why have a public viewing?
Viewing is part of many cultural and ethnic traditions.
Many grief specialists believe that viewing aids the
grief process by helping the bereaved recognize the
reality of death. Viewing is encouraged for children,
as long
as the process is explained and the activity voluntary.
Is it possible to have a traditional funeral if someone
dies of AIDS?
Yes, a person who dies of an AIDS-related illness is
entitled to the same service options afforded to anyone
else. If public viewing is consistent with local or
personal customs, that option is encouraged. Touching
the deceased's
face or hands is perfectly safe. Because the grief
experienced by survivors may include a variety of feelings,
survivors
may need even more support than survivors of non-AIDS-related
deaths.
Isn't burial space becoming scarce?
While it is true some metropolitan areas have limited
available cemetery space, in most areas of the country,
there is enough space set aside for the next 50 years
without creating new cemeteries. In addition, land
available for new cemeteries is more than adequate,
especially
with the increase in entombment and multi-level grave
burial.
Embalming Questions
What is the purpose of
embalming?
Embalming sanitizes and preserves the body, retards the
decomposition process, and enhances the appearance
of a body disfigured by traumatic death or illness. Embalming
makes it possible to lengthen the time between death
and the final disposition, thus 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, according to law?
No. Most states, however, require embalming when death
was caused by a reportable contagious disease or when remains
are to be transported from one state to another by common
carrier or if final disposition is not to be made within
a prescribed number of hours.
Funeral Cost Questions
Why are funerals so expensive?
When compared to other major life cycle events, like
births and weddings, funerals are not expensive. A wedding
costs
at least three times as much; 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, chapels, limousines, hearses,
etc.), these expenses must be factored into the cost
of
a funeral. Moreover, the cost of a funeral includes not
only merchandise, like caskets, but the services of a
funeral director in making arrangements; filing appropriate
forms;
dealing with doctors, ministers, florists, newspapers
and others; and seeing to all the necessary details.
Contrary
to popular belief, funeral homes are largely family-owned
with a modest profit margin.
What recourse does a consumer have for poor service or
overcharging?
Funeral service is regulated by the FTC and state licensing
boards. In most cases, the consumer should discuss problems
with the funeral director first. If the dispute cannot
be solved by talking with the funeral director, the consumer
may wish to contact the Funeral Service Consumer Assistance
Program. FSCAP provides information, mediates disputes,
provides arbitration, and maintains a consumer guarantee
fund for reimbursement of services rendered. (To contact
FSCAP, call 708-827-6337 or 800-662-7666).
Do funeral directors take advantage of the bereaved?
Funeral directors are caring individuals who help people
deal with a very stressful time. They serve the same
families 80% of the time, and many have spent most of
their lives
in the same community. If they took advantage of bereaved
families, they could not stay in business. The fact that
the average funeral home has been in business over 59
years shows that most funeral directors respect the wishes
of
the bereaved families.
Is it right to make a profit from death?
Funeral directors look upon their profession as a service,
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.
Don't funeral directors mark caskets up tremendously, at
least 400%?
No. Talking about the mark up on caskets is really
not the point. Most items--clothing, furniture, jewelry--are
marked up as much or more than caskets. The real question
is whether the funeral director is making an excessive
profit, And that answer is "No." Profits run
around 12.5% before taxes -- not excessive by any standard.
Who pays for funerals
for the indigent?
Other than the family, there are veteran, union, and other
organizational benefits to pay for funerals, including,
in certain instances, a lump sum death payment from Social
Security. In most states, some form of public aid allowances
are available from either the state, county, or city or
a combination. 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 insure the deceased
a respectable burial.
What to do if a Death Occurs
What should I do if the
death occurs in the middle of the night or on the weekend?
Most Funeral Directors are available 24 hours a day,
seven days a week. Will someone come right away? If
you request
immediate assistance, yes. If the family wishes to
spend a short time with the deceased to say good bye,
it's acceptable.
They will come when your time is right.
If a loved one dies out of state , can the local Funeral
Home still help?
Yes, they can assist you with out-of-state arrangements,
either to transfer the remains to another state or
from another state.
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