The days of dealing with final arrangements when a loved one has died have passed. Today the question of ‘What is a funeral care plan?’ is something many people ask.
In traditional times, the deceased were taken care of at the time of their death. Whilst the deceased person might have had a will in place that expressed their final wishes and possibly how they wanted to be laid to rest, it was not common in earlier times to know what is a funeral care plan.
When asking ‘What is a funeral care plan?’ there are a few considerations to take into account.
A funeral care plan is designed to help people cover the costs of a funeral in advance of their death. It also allows a person to pre-plan and design their final arrangements in exactly the way they wish and can create a detailed brief as to how things should be done, when and by whom. A funeral care plan may be included as part of a person’s life insurance and this should be checked carefully when considering what is a funeral care plan, however, it is important to note that funeral care plans do not ‘pay out’ money to a deceased person’s loved one, family or next of kin when a person dies.
The financial burden is taken away when entering into a funeral care plan and can be less stressful for all concerned. The payments can be spread over a period of time that can be extended to a number of years making the outgoings of such a plan less financial burdensome for the deceased person or their loved ones.
It is, however, worth noting there is a possibility that the cost of funerals may also decrease over time and so the funeral care plan that a person has committed to ends up costing more than it might do if funeral costs are reduced in time.
When considering what is a funeral care plan it mitigates the problem of leaving unexpected costs of a person’s funeral to their family, loved ones or next of kin when they have died because everything has been paid for and arranged in advance with precise details of what the final arrangements are.
This might include what coffin should be used, the funeral service itself: will it be a direct cremation, attended cremation, celebration or memorial service or a traditional funeral ceremony. When asking what is a funeral care plan it is important to note that a funeral care plan does not account for a specific or particular type of funeral arrangement – it can cover a wide variety of final wishes, death care arrangements and final burial or interment arrangements.
Being able to honour your own or a loved one’s personal decisions and final wishes on how they would like their final arrangements after death to be dealt with can be reassuring and might reduce the feeling of anxiety and stress that is often related to death care and the arrangement of funerals.
There is a larger number of funeral service providers that can answer the question of what is a funeral care plan and provide a growing number of options when looking to arrange a funeral and exactly how it can be done.
People that look into what is a funeral care plan will discover that it can be financially prudent to plan and pre-pay for a funeral in advance of their own death. By doing so, the price of their own funeral is effectively frozen at the price they pay and so, as years pass and the prices of funerals likely to increase, they can be reassured knowing they are not paying inflated prices for their final arrangements.
It is worth noting when asking what is a funeral care plan the many types of pre-paid funeral plans available to choose from are easy to arrange and reduces the times spent planning and wondering what is best when it comes to making the final arrangements for yourself or a loved one or family member who has died. The certainty puts many people’s minds at rest.
So what is a funeral care plan and what does it include?
A funeral care plan can include many basic parts of the funeral arrangements such as the funeral director’s services (this might include: collecting the deceased person from their place of death, taking them to a funeral directors and looking after them until the funeral itself).
The type of coffin and viewing of the deceased person in the chapel of rest and whether or not a hearse is included when transporting the deceased person to the place of the funeral or crematorium (this could be for a direct cremation or attended cremation) will also be included in a funeral care plan.
It is worth checking when considering what is a funeral care plan if third party fees are covered within the particular funeral care plan that is chosen.
Some funeral care plans include third party fees such as doctor’s fees, cremation fees and minister’s fees whilst others do not.
Most (but not all and so it is worth checking) funeral care plans do not include things such as: flowers, a burial plot, headstone, service sheets, funeral notices or catering for wakes, however, it is common that people can contribute to additional and optional items or services in order to create a funeral plan that is appropriate for them.
The main point that should be acknowledged when considering the question ‘What is a funeral care plan’ is that it can be as unique to a person as they like. Reviewing each one carefully and considering exactly what a person would like or requires is important when committing to a funeral care plan so that no unexpected costs arise.
With the variety of choice and options available, a funeral care plan can be uniquely designed to each individual, providing certainty on cost and specific details of the arrangements for when the times comes.
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