Pre-Planning
Pre-Planning for your Great Journey
It is a very good idea to think about how and where you intend to die before sickness or an accident makes the thought a scary one. Making a few intentional choices makes all the difference between dying at home in a peaceful setting, surrounded by family with hospice – or finding yourself alone in an ICU, intubated, with 20 cables hanging out of you.
We recommend for every person over 18 years of age to have an Advanced Care Directive filled out. This document states your wishes at the time leading up to death and designates decision makers for you that execute your wishes, when you can no longer speak for yourself.
For most people who decide they want to experience death at home, Hospice might be the best option. Nurses will come to your house and provide comfort and pain-relief. In rare cases, where Hospice pain-management might not be sufficient, hospital might be the best choice. FRIENDS is a supporter of the Death-With-Dignity movement that advocates for doctor-assisted suicide in cases of extreme pain in terminally ill human beings.
We all plan for birth. We take great care to find the right hospital or birth house, the right doctor and midwife. Let’s give the same, conscious attention to our dying process: give it some thoughts or how you would like to experience your transition, who do you want present at that time. Then get the paperwork and caregivers in place to make it happen according to your wishes.
Pre-Planning for your Funeral
Openly discussing your choices for your funeral with your family and/or friends saves them a lot of difficult decisions. By telling them honestly what you want, you might even prevent family feuds and arguments. Writing your wishes down and declaring an agent to execute your wishes can provide wonderful peace of mind. You know your affairs are in order, no matter what age or state of health you are in.
At FRIENDS, we don’t believe in taking your money upfront. If you make arrangements for your funeral with us, we will agree on a service and price, as stated in a written certificate you will receive. We will then direct you to open a joint savings account with a person of your trust. This way, the money you save for your funeral will accrued interest FOR YOU and won’t vanish as “administration fee” in the coffers of our funeral home.
Only when your time comes, the person of your trust will pay us for your funeral, out of your designated joint savings account. It can be that easy.
Please contact us at 888-939-5959 to make arrangements and discuss your wishes in a casual, enjoyable atmosphere. This is not morbid thinking. This is good common sense. Once you have a certificate for your funeral in place, place it with your other documents and go about your life
We all plan for birth. We take great care to find the right hospital or birth house, the right doctor and midwife. Let’s give the same, conscious attention to our dying process: give it some thoughts or how you would like to experience your transition, who do you want present at that time. Then get the paperwork and caregivers in place to make it happen according to your wishes.
