How To Help A Loved One Plan Their Own Burial

When someone you know and love wants to pay for their burial services in advance and asks for your help, you may feel repulsed or even daunted by the idea. After all, who wants to talk about death?

The reality is, funerals and burial expenses are costly and often go to the survivors of a passing loved one when things are not covered in advance. Furthermore, dealing with the unknown wishes of a deceased loved one adds to the anguish and stress of dealing with death, so if your loved one is asking for your help in planning their burial services, what they are really doing is trying to make your life easier. Here are ways you can help a loved one plan their own burial. Being involved in the process can be beneficial for both of you and can make the burial planning much easier.

Learn why they want to plan their burial in advance

The first way you can help your loved one plan their own burial service is to find out why they want to pre-pay in advance. Is it so they can feel more in control of how their funeral plays out? Is money a concern? Or do they just want to make sure that everything is taken care of before they die so they can feel like they can pass in peace? Knowing why a person wants to plan their burial services long before they pass will help you in the rest of the process.

Learn the details

What music does your loved one enjoy? What pictures or special tributes do they hope to have at their funeral? Who do they absolutely not want invited to their burial? These are all things to take into consideration when helping your loved one plan their funeral. When you know what your loved one really wants, you can help them select these custom changes with the funeral director ahead of time, and you can keep these wishes and make sure they get enforced after they pass away.

Learn about available finances

How much money your loved one has will determine how much control they have in customizing their burial expenses. If money is an issue, you can help them select a more standard casket or headstone, or you can discuss cremation with them and the funeral director. If money is not an issue, you can work with your loved one to come up with custom ideas to make their burial more unique to them.

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