WeBԪַre all going to die, but most of us arenBԪַt preparing for it.
And that can mean a difficult time for loved ones, who are left scrambling to figure out what needs to be done when there no pre-arrangements made.
It can be anxiety-producing for many people, observed Shawn Carbonell, family service planner at Bakerview Memorial Cemetery in Aldergrove, who said fear can keep people from making funeral preparations in advance.
BԪַA lot of people feel like if they make the plans, then theyBԪַre gonna die faster, right? ItBԪַs just not true, but I feel like a lot of people have that idea. ItBԪַs either, they fully see the benefits, or theyBԪַre terrified to death.BԪַ
Jeremy May, owner of in Langley City, described pre-planning as BԪַthe one decision that people want to defer the most, either to avoid it, or leave it to others.BԪַ
May points to figures showing roughly 8,000 people die every day in North America, with only 2,000 of them having made prearrangements.
BԪַThe other 6,000 a day, itBԪַs a mess,BԪַ May commented.
Carbonell said it can be overwhelming for survivors if no pre-arrangements have been made.
BԪַWhen a death occurs, the cemetery and funeral home are going to ask so many questions,BԪַ Carbonell warned.
BԪַLike whatBԪַs your SIN number? WhereBԪַs the deed to the home? How many bank accounts? And theyBԪַre all going to ask that on the day of the death. Some people, you know, they canBԪַt think of all of these things. They donBԪַt know where anything is, and it takes a long time.BԪַ
May said when overwhelmed survivors BԪַhave to start making decisions on the spot at two in the morning, you can make ones that are hasty, that maybe donBԪַt reflect the wishes of the deceased, and they can be costly.BԪַ
Prearranging does two things, May explained.
BԪַIt allows you to put your wishes down on paper, to let them be known, and it allows you to freeze or lock in the cost.BԪַ
The moment you leave a deposit, he said, the prices for both burial plots and funeral services are locked in.
That is not a small concern, he noted, with funeral prices rising, on average, 10 per cent a year.
A cemetery plot that cost about $750 when May started in the industry in 1993, is now going for more like $80,000, he estimates, and funeral prices are rising, on average, 10 per cent a year.
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Carbonnell said when people make pre-arrangements, they always feel better.
BԪַIBԪַve never helped a family where they felt bad for making these arrangements,BԪַ he said.
BԪַTheyBԪַve always obviously been a little bit scared to make the arrangements, but when itBԪַs all said and done, and finalized, thereBԪַs just a big sigh of relief and theyBԪַre happy.BԪַ
BԪַAt the end of the day, itBԪַs a very simple concept,BԪַ May said.
BԪַEveryone is going to die, and they need to plan for that. ItBԪַs 100-per-cent inevitable, you canBԪַt avoid it.BԪַ
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