How to Ask Loved Ones About Their Final Wishes

Asking your loved ones about their final wishes and funeral plans might be frightening to you, or might even seem somehow rude or wrong, but it is a necessary step in end-of-life preparation. There are simply too many choices to be made for things to happen unplanned. With that in mind, we’ve put together this guide to offer practical suggestions for how to ask your loved ones about their final wishes, and how to plan accordingly.

Your loved one (probably) wants to be asked

We know it seems like an impossible subject to broach, but you shouldn’t be surprised to know that your loved one wants to be consulted. At the end of life, most people are very much interested in alleviating the burden to be left on the ones they’re leaving behind. The best way to raise the subject is to ask them about what plans they already have. You may be surprised to find they have got everything more or less figured out, from the division of their estate, to the grave plot, to what meal should be served at the memorial.

Once you’ve learned their existing funeral plans in Lake City, FL, consult a checklist online to further fill out the plan. End-of-life planning is something we’re all eventually faced with, so there is abundant literature on the matter. Together, you and your loved one can build a plan that leaves nothing to chance when the time comes.

Be detailed

Once the conversation has begun, be detailed. Take copious notes. You might even consider recording the conversation on your cellphone so you do not miss anything.

In this process, you’ll want to ask where their important documents are kept, such as their will and their insurance policies. Together you can go through the steps of building and notarizing their official end-of-life and funeral plans, if they do not have these plans among their documents already.

Every plan should include:

• The basics of the handling of the body, whether your loved one prefers burial, cremation or donation.
• Where funding for funeral and memorial services will come from.
• Documents outlining whatever your loved one wants set in stone, in terms of the division of their estate, their living will directive and their funeral plans in Lake City, FL.

If your loved one is already too ill to help plan

If your loved one is already too ill to help with the funeral plans, then you’re going to be heavily reliant on whatever documents they were able to put together before their illness. Inevitably in these cases, family members end up needing to make many of the decisions themselves that might have otherwise been made by the loved one. These situations are generally much more difficult than simply discussing the plans with the loved one. Using a mediator of some sort can often make the process far more productive and less painful.

Make funeral plans in Lake City, FL

ICS Cremation & Funeral Home has been a family owned and operated funeral home in Lake City, FL for nearly 18 years. In that time, we’ve helped numerous families navigate the difficult and meticulous process of making funeral plans. If you’re just beginning to plan, or are lost and in need of someone to help simplify the process of making funeral plans, please give us a call today.

Categorised in: Funeral Plans

This post was written by Writer