“Q & A”
by
Judith Lee

HOW TO FIND A GOOD MORTUARY

It is a well known fact in the funeral business that more people die during the fall and winter holidays than any other time of the year. Makes for a strange combination of holiday joy and sadness of a passing. It also means, if a funeral or memorial service is to be considered, looking for a good mortuary, etc. can be additionally stressful.

For most people, the idea of looking for a mortuary before one is needed seems strange at best. We tend to ignore all aspects of end of life issues, including death itself. Today’s column will give you a primer of what you need to know, as an informed consumer, on what constitutes a good mortuary.

Obviously if you have had prior experience with a professional funeral service and were pleased you will probably discuss your own wishes and needs with the same business, or use it again if you are responsible for someone else. But what if you have no experience? Here is a list of suggestions:

• Word-of-mouth ­ talk to others that have had funeral arranging experience. Visit those funeral providers and discuss what your wishes are and see how they respond.
• Shop around ­ pick several from the phone book or in your geographic area. Go visit each one and look for:

  1. The staff to whom you speak ­ are they accommodating? Informative? Well groomed? Caring? Ask questions.
  2. On-site inspection ­ is the place neat and clean? Old flowers lying about? Sloppy and cluttered? Check their licensure, community involvement and attitude. This is a professional business, therefore does the staff act professional and businesslike?
  3. Discuss all options. If you have particular wishes see if they are willing and able to accommodate.
  4. Discuss the cost. Get the general price list. This is legally mandated. Every item of service and merchandise must be listed. Make sure you and the funeral director have a clear understanding of when and how your funeral (or someone you are responsible for) is to be paid.

The above is just a primer. Something to get you started. It is your responsibility to become an informed consumer. Think about it. This is no different from buying a car, finding a college, etc. The difference is that in this situation people may be very emotional and stressed. Part of that emotion and stress can be caused by the fact that the person/people responsible for a deceased person are not knowledgeable about the funeral business. You need to be. We will have more on this topic in the future. .

Email your questions/comments to Judith@the-ddic.com