Pre-planning for the occasion of our own or a loved one’s death is not necessarily something that many of us like to think about. After all, dwelling on our own mortality can be daunting and bring up many unanswered questions.
But when someone passes away, there are typically some fairly urgent logistical and financial obligations that must be addressed. By planning ahead, family members and loved ones can find peace of mind in knowing that they are respecting the deceased’s final wishes.
Having a conversation around pre-planning and death care options can help one reflect on what truly matters to them. We acknowledge that this is often a difficult topic to approach, so we’ve provided some resources for you at the end of this post to help guide you through the process. If you have any questions, you can reach out to us for a commitment-free consultation at any time.
Emotional Benefits Of Pre-Planning
Given the emotional toll that someone’s death can take on their loved ones, having the forethought to plan ahead can help alleviate some unnecessary and undesirable stress. Here are some of the benefits to pre-planning from an emotional perspective.
Pre-Planning Can Be Empowering
The unknown can be daunting, but thinking ahead about your end-of-life options and understanding what choices are available can actually feel empowering. Navigating uncomfortable territory and coming up with a plan that aligns with your budget, values and priorities can give you a sense of accomplishment.
Get To Know Yourself Better Through Self-Exploration
Coming to terms with our mortality through this preparatory work can help us understand who we are and what really matters to us. It provides us with a unique opportunity to deeply reflect on our values and have thoughtful, even philosophical, conversations with close friends or family members.
It May Bring You And Your Loved Ones Peace Of Mind
Having a clear, thought-out plan for what happens after someone dies can offer a little peace of mind to everyone involved, and provide comfort in knowing that the deceased’s wishes will be carried out when the time comes.
Practical Benefits Of Pre-Planning
Now that we’ve covered the emotional benefits, let’s take a look at how pre-planning can help from a practical perspective.
You Have The Time To Plan Well
It’s not uncommon for the pre-planning process to take upwards of a year—from the initial conversation to having a finalized plan. In the event of a death, if there aren’t specific end-of-life plans in place, you or your loved ones may only have a few days or weeks to make important decisions regarding the ceremony, body transport, disposition and the myriad of other death care options to consider.
Avoid Inflated Prices for the Same Services in the Future
Planning everything out doesn’t obligate you to provide payment in advance. However, sorting out payment ahead of time means that you or your loved ones won’t need to worry about rising costs.
If you move away after finalizing and paying for your plan with KORU Cremation | Burial | Ceremony, don’t worry. Any funeral provider in Canada can use the funds, and we can help you with this process. There is no transfer penalty. If, for some unfortunate reason we were to close down (don’t worry, we aren’t planning to!), all plans would be transferred to a values-aligned provider, with plenty of written and verbal notice to any affected families.
Pre-Planning In The Event Of Terminal Illness
When pre-planning for end-of-life for someone with a terminal illness, there generally isn’t the same luxury of time to plan ahead. There can also be some uncertainty around timelines, which can further complicate planning from an emotional and logistical perspective.
In these situations, we aim to support you in whichever way we can, whether it’s sharing resources, making arrangements on your behalf (with your approval of course) or putting you in touch with the right people or caretakers.
In our experience, folks dealing with a terminal diagnosis or who have begun the MAID (Medical Assistance In Dying) process tend to prefer to focus on making the most of the time they have left. This is a completely natural reaction—but with permission, and after a conversation to determine your or your loved one’s wishes, we can alleviate the burden of some of these death care decisions.
Between our team at KORU Cremation | Burial | Ceremony and our community of values-aligned partners, we can help you prepare for end-of-life planning and arrange any aspects you might like to include, from death doulas to ceremonies to memorialization options.
Here are some downloadable resources you can access at any time to help guide your planning:
- 6-Step Guide to Pre-Planning
- Death Care Choices Worksheet
If you have any questions or would like to explore your pre-planning options with us, book a free 30-minute consultation with no obligation here.
