Important Documents: Funeral Planning Declaration

As a person who lives with Cystic Fibrosis, it is important to make sure that your needs and wants are disclosed. It is important to have an agent whom you trust. A trusted agent can reduce anxiety and help ensure your wishes are honored.

People with Cystic Fibrosis are more aware of certain parts of life that most people don't think about. This can be about medicine, routine, referrals, hospitalizations, and sadly, death. Talking about death can be scary. But sadly, living with Cystic Fibrosis often means we encounter death more often than our healthy peers.

While it is hard to talk about death and funerals, there is one way that may make it easier. Planning ahead and telling your team what you want can help your family adjust to your passing. They won’t have to decide what you want done with your remains or how you want your life celebrated. In this article, I’ll explain what a Funeral Planning Declaration is and how to make one.

Funeral Planning Declaration

A Funeral Planning Declaration is a document that explains to your family what you want after you pass away. This document will include whether you want to be buried or cremated. It can also include details about where you want to be laid to rest and any other clear-cut instructions you may have.

When you create this document, make sure your family can find it easily. Your family will need to find the Funeral Planning Declaration quickly after you pass away. To keep it from getting lost, store it in a known place in the house or have family members keep copies.

When you decide to create a Funeral Planning Declaration, remember that although this is a hard subject, the document can be very helpful. Be clear about your wants and wishes. Many websites offer free Funeral Planning Declarations to download. For example, you can download this form and print it to create your own Funeral Planning Declaration.  Some people also include funeral plans in their Funeral Planning Declaration so it reflects what they want.

Planning your funeral

Not only can making a Funeral Planning Declaration be hard, but choosing to plan your own funeral can be very overwhelming and scary. It is one thing to talk about death and to have things ready in case you need them. But planning your own funeral is very different.

Planning your funeral can provide peace of mind to you and your family. It lessens the burden on your family to have plans in place. It also lets you put your wishes in writing.

1. What are the benefits to pre-planning? Pre-planning your funeral will relieve your family from choosing the arrangements. This can ease that burden. Funerals are emotional and costly. Pre-planning can also reduce confusion. When you pre-plan your funeral, you can decide on personal touches such as music and flowers. Additionally, you will have chosen the basic things such as burial or cremation, casket, and headstone.
2. Can I pre-pay? Pre-paying for your funeral is not vital. But pre-paying for your funeral has benefits. Paying ahead of time helps ensure rising costs don't affect what you want for your funeral. You can also pay for your funeral all at once or through a payment plan. Speak with the funeral home you have chosen to learn what options you have.
3. Can I transfer my pre-arranged plan to another funeral home? It depends on your state's laws. Ask questions and make sure that if the funeral home goes out of business or if you move, your final wishes will still be honored.
4. Do I need to pre-plan if I have life insurance? People often expect their insurance policy to cover all funeral costs. But that isn’t always the case. Life insurance policies are in place for your family to pay off debts or taxes after you pass away.
5. Can I cancel my pre-planning arrangements or make changes? Contact your pre-planning advisor or the funeral and ask them about changes you wish to make. You may have to pay a fee if you change or cancel your arrangements.

A plan in place

Talking about final plans once you have passed away is hard. Death is a scary subject to talk about. Recall that not everything has to be chosen in one day. And recall that if you don’t know the answer to something, ask someone for help.

Having your documents ready can provide peace of mind for you and your family. Making a Funeral Planning Declaration and planning your funeral doesn’t mean you have to expect to use it any time soon. The goal is to make sure that as the end of life nears, you and your family aren’t overwhelmed with what to do once you pass. With a plan in place, you and your family can spend your final days together, loving each other.