Questions and Answers
Family-Owned
vs. Chains
When choosing a funeral
home, you may want to research whether or not the business is
owned by a local family or run by a large corporation. There is
a difference. During the past twenty years, publicly-owned corporations
have been consolidating the funeral business similarly to what
has occurred in other businesses. Recently, this trend has reversed
because the corporate-owned funeral homes have simply not measured
up to the service that families receive from family-owned funeral
homes. Historically, funeral services have been provided by generations
of local families who have deep roots in their community. When
dealing with such an important event, turning to a funeral director
whom you know and trust can make a world of difference. A family-owned
firm will give you the personal attention and caring that you
deserve, and the extra support that you will need after the funeral
is over. You will also receive the outstanding professionalism
that only generations of service can cultivate. Cuddie Funeral
Homes are proud to be family-owned and operated.
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What
purpose does a funeral serve?
It is the customary way
to recognize death and its finality. Funerals are recognized rituals
for the living to show respect for the dead and to help survivors
begin the grief process.
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What
do funeral directors do?
Funeral directors are
caregivers and administrators. They make the arrangements for
transportation of the body, complete all necessary paperwork,
and implement the choices made by the family regarding the funeral
and final disposition of the body. Funeral directors are listeners,
advisors and supporters. They have experience assisting the bereaved
in coping with death. Funeral directors are trained to answer
questions about grief, recognize when a person is having difficulty
coping, and recommend sources of professional help. Funeral directors
also link survivors with support groups at the funeral home or
in the community.
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Do
you have to have a funeral director to bury the dead?
Family members may bury
their own dead. However, most people find it very trying to be
solely responsible for arranging the details and legal matters
surrounding a death.
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Why
have a public viewing?
Viewing is part of many
cultural and ethnic traditions. Many grief specialists believe
that viewing aids the grief process by helping the bereaved recognize
the reality of death. Viewing is encouraged for children, as long
as the process is explained and the activity voluntary.
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Is
it possible to have a traditional funeral if someone dies of AIDS?
Yes, a person who dies
of an AIDS-related illness is entitled to the same service options
afforded to anyone else. If public viewing is consistent with
local or personal customs, that option is encouraged. Touching
the deceased's face or hands is perfectly safe. Because the grief
experienced by survivors may include a variety of feelings, survivors
may need even more support than survivors of non-AIDS-related
deaths.
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Isn't
burial space becoming scarce?
While it is true some
metropolitan areas have limited available cemetery space, in most
areas of the country, there is enough space set aside for the
next 50 years without creating new cemeteries. In addition, land
available for new cemeteries is more than adequate, especially
with the increase in entombment and multi-level grave burial.
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Why
are funerals so expensive?
When compared to other
major life cycle events, like births and weddings, funerals are
not expensive. A wedding costs at least three times as much; but
because it is a happy event, wedding costs are rarely criticized.
A funeral home is a 24-hour, labor-intensive business, with extensive
facilities (viewing rooms, chapels, limousines, hearses, etc.),
these expenses must be factored into the cost of a funeral. Moreover,
the cost of a funeral includes not only merchandise, like caskets,
but the services of a funeral director in making arrangements;
filing appropriate forms; dealing with doctors, ministers, florists,
newspapers and others; and seeing to all the necessary details.
Contrary to popular belief, funeral homes are largely family-owned
with a modest profit margin.
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What
recourse does a consumer have for poor service or overcharging?
Funeral service is regulated
by the FTC and state licensing boards. In most cases, the consumer
should discuss problems with the funeral director first. If the
dispute cannot be solved by talking with the funeral director,
the consumer may wish to contact the Funeral Service Consumer
Assistance Program. FSCAP provides information, mediates disputes,
provides arbitration, and maintains a consumer guarantee fund
for reimbursement of services rendered. (To contact FSCAP, call
708-827-6337 or 800-662-7666).
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Do
funeral directors take advantage of the bereaved?
Funeral directors are
caring individuals who help people deal with a very stressful
time. They serve the same families 80% of the time, and many have
spent most of their lives in the same community. If they took
advantage of bereaved families, they could not stay in business.
The fact that the average funeral home has been in business over
59 years shows that most funeral directors respect the wishes
of the bereaved families.
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Is
it right to make a profit from death?
Funeral directors look
upon their profession as a service, but it is also a business.
Like any business, funeral homes must make a profit to exist.
As long as the profit is reasonable and the services rendered
are necessary, complete, and satisfactory to the family, profit
is legitimate.
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Don't
funeral directors mark caskets up tremendously, at least 400%?
No. Talking about the
mark up on caskets is really not the point. Most items--clothing,
furniture, jewelry--are marked up as much or more than caskets.
The real question is whether the funeral director is making an
excessive profit, And that answer is "No." Profits run
around 12.5% before taxes -- not excessive by any standard.
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What
is the purpose of embalming?
Embalming sanitizes and
preserves the body, retards the decomposition process, and enhances
the appearance of a body disfigured by traumatic death or illness.
Embalming makes it possible to lengthen the time between death
and the final disposition, thus allowing family members time to
arrange and participate in the type of service most comforting
to them.
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Does
a dead body have to be embalmed, according to law?
Embalming is required
when remains are to be transported from one state to another by
common carrier. Embalming may also be required for a viewing.
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Is
cremation a substitute for a funeral?
No, cremation is an alternative
to earth burial or entombment for the body's final disposition
and often follows a traditional funeral service.
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Is
cremation, as a means of disposition, increasing?
According to the Cremation
Association of North America (CANA), cremation was the disposition
of choice in about 27% of all deaths in the United States in the
year 2001. It is projected that the percentage will rise to about
39% in 2010 and 47% in 2025. These figures represent the United
States as a whole; individual states may have lower or higher
rates of cremation. (Source: Cremation Association of North America)
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So,
I've decided on cremation. Can I still have a funeral or a viewing?
Yes, quite often some
sort of viewing precedes the actual cremation. Your Funeral Home
can assist you with the necessary information for a funeral with
a cremation following or a memorial service.
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