Andrew Knapman, Location Manager at Forest Lawn Funeral Home in Burnaby – which along with Ocean View Funeral Home is part of the Dignity Memorial® Network of funeral home and cemetery providers – has a suggestion for Vancouverites:
Pre-arrange your funeral.
“In the Dignity Memorial® network, there are thousands of people who have taken the responsible step of pre-arranging their funerals, just as they would any other part of their estate planning,” says Andrew.
Still not sure? Here are four reasons why pre-arranging your funeral makes sense:
1. Ease the burden on your loved ones
“When you pre-arrange your funeral,” Andrew explains, “you’re relieving your family of the burden of care of making difficult decisions and worrying about funeral expenses on top of grieving.” With the pre-arranging of your funeral, everything is taken care of. All your family needs to worry about is dates and times.
2. Letting others know what you want
“Pre-arranging your funeral means that you’ve made the decision of what type of service you want – traditional or less formal – whether you want burial or cremation, whether your cremated remains will be scattered or interred, and so on,” says Andrew. “Your family won’t be left to guess what you would have wanted in their time of grief.”
3. Lock in your funeral at the current price
“When you prearrange your funeral with Dignity,” says Andrew, “you also pre-pay. This means that if prices rise, and there are bound to be price increases over the years, your plan is locked in at the price in effect at the time of arrangement.”
4. Take the time to compare
When planning for your funeral, you’re able to look at different funeral service providers and compare benefits and prices, something no family should have to worry about in their time of grief. Both Forest Lawn Funeral Homeand the Ocean View Funeral Homerecommend you sit down with a skilled funeral professional to discuss your options and packages ahead of time and make the choice that best suits your needs.
To learn more about pre-arranging your funeral at either Forest Lawn Funeral Home or Ocean View Funeral Home in Burnaby, call 1-800-34-DIGNITY or go to the Forest Lawn website or the Ocean View website. Forest Lawn is at 3789 Royal Oak Ave. and Ocean View is at 4000 Imperial St.
