Author Archives: Ferdie Tan

A Step-by-Step Guide to Planning a Cremation Service

Losing a loved one is challenging, and planning a cremation service can feel like an overwhelming task amidst grief. However, proper guidance can make this process more manageable, and that’s where this step-by-step guide comes in. This guide is mainly aimed at assisting where the need for trustworthy funeral homes in Waite Hill, OH is keenly felt.

Step 1: Decide on Direct or Full-Service Cremation

The first step is to decide between a direct or full-service cremation. A direct cremation happens shortly after death, without a funeral service beforehand. It is typically a more economical choice but doesn’t allow for a traditional gathering or viewing. On the other hand, a full-service cremation includes a traditional funeral service before the cremation process. This allows friends and family to come together, share memories, and say their goodbyes, which can be a critical part of the grieving process.

Step 2: Choose the Right Funeral Home

Choosing the right funeral home is a vital step in the cremation planning process. You want a provider who understands your needs, respects your loved one’s wishes, and supports you throughout this difficult time. Look for funeral homes with a good reputation, a range of services, and a compassionate approach. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about their procedures, pricing, and how they can accommodate your needs and requests.

Step 3: Personalize the Cremation Service

Personalizing the cremation service can offer comfort to the bereaved. This could mean choosing a unique urn that reflects the personality or passions of the deceased. You might also plan a unique memorial service – from a traditional gathering in a place of worship to a more informal celebration of life in a place significant to your loved one. Deciding on a meaningful final resting place is also part of this step, whether in a family plot, a columbarium, or even scattered at a place with special meaning.

Step 4: Understand and Manage the Costs

Cremation costs can vary widely, so it’s essential to understand what’s included and manage your budget effectively. Many funeral homes provide clear pricing information and can help you navigate financial concerns. Be sure to ask about the costs of optional services, such as obituaries, memorial services, and keepsake urns. Remember, balancing honoring your loved one with what is financially feasible for you and your family is essential.

Step 5: Seek Support and Take Care of Yourself

Finally, perhaps most importantly, seek support and care for yourself during this time. Dealing with the loss of a loved one is incredibly difficult, and it’s essential not to neglect your emotional health. Reach out to friends, family, or a professional counselor for support. Many funeral homes offer grief resources and can connect you with local support groups.

Consider joining a grief support group, either in-person or online. These groups bring together people who are going through similar experiences and can provide a safe space to share feelings, advice, and encouragement. Some people also find solace in reading books about grief and loss, which can offer insights and coping strategies during this challenging time.

Step 6: Handle Your Loved One’s Affairs

When you feel ready, there will be practical matters to attend to, such as handling your loved one’s possessions and finalizing their affairs. This can be a significant task, so don’t hesitate to ask for help from friends, family, or a legal advisor. Remember to take this process at your own pace – there’s no need to rush.

As you navigate this difficult time, remember to care for yourself and reach out for support when needed. Planning a cremation service can be challenging, but with the proper assistance, it can also be a path toward healing.

If you’re looking for reliable funeral homes in Waite Hill, OH, consider the services of the Orlando-Donsante-Previte Funeral Home. With a compassionate approach, a wide range of services, and a deep understanding of your emotional journey, we are here to help during this difficult time. Contact us today to learn more about our offerings and how we can support you through this journey.

Tips for Choosing a Grief Counselor in 2023

Cremation services Mentor, OH change your life. Often the pain of losing a loved one is too overwhelming to navigate yourself. No wonder, millions of people around the world seek professional support to see through the grief journey and come to normalcy.

But finding yourself a good counselor is not a simple task. With just a quick internet search, you’ll find plenty of grief counselors in your locality. Be sure not to choose the first person that you see in your “Google search.” Take your time as this decision influence your life for many months to come.

What is Grief Counseling?

Grief counseling is a form of psychotherapy that helps people cope with the effects of a major loss. It can be losing a loved one, a pet, your job, or anything. But here, we will talk about coping with the loss of an important person in life.

People who find themselves struggling with the physical, emotional, social, or responses to losing a loved one prefer hiring the services of a grief counselor. These people are trained to help you process what has happened and identify what you are experiencing.

Based on your specific personality and the nature of loss, they provide strategies that help you cope in the healthiest way possible. Here’s what they might discuss with you during sessions:

How you handled loss in the past
Discussing the loss of your loved one
The type of relationship you had with the deceased
Any unresolved issues between you might want to talk about

How to Choose a Grief Counselor

Focus on the below points to make sure you hire a perfect grief counselor:

1. Ask Relevant Questions

First, you have to make sure the grief counselor is experienced enough to understand your particular nature. You need to ask several questions to evaluate their professionalism. Don’t shy from asking questions like:

What type of experience does he/she have?
What license or certificate does he/she hold?
What techniques do they use?

A professional therapist will happily answer all these questions without having ire. Most importantly, the person should be transparent about his or her education, credentials, and experience.

2. They Must be Licensed

Never settle for a therapist who doesn’t have a degree. Becoming a therapist takes years of education and training to understand people’s specific nature and issues. To obtain a license, they need to submit proof of education and training as well as pass the state-recognized licensing exam.

So, a therapist having a license means they are well capable of helping you navigate through the grief journey. If they don’t have a license, don’t shy from saying NO and keep looking for a qualified therapist.

Does Grief Counseling Work?

Mostly, yes. But it’s you, not the other way around, who has to do the major work. A therapist is there to listen and encourage you to face the challenge. They also provide useful insights, guidance, and even small tasks. But at the end of the day, you will need to do the work of mourning.

In short, therapy can be a powerful tool in your recovery after cremation services Mentor, OH.

Things to Avoid at a Funeral

A funeral at funeral homes Mentor, OH is an event where you need to be at the best of your behavior. You need to avoid certain things that might be considered in regular settings – but not in a funeral.

But often, it’s difficult to know what to avoid when we’re under stress. And that’s why we are here with a brief guide on what should you NOT do at a funeral service:

1. Avoid Showy Clothes

Never attend a funeral in shiny or too-showy clothes. It is a somber event that demands the utmost respect from all the guests. You are there to remember the deceased, not to make a fashion statement. Remember that this funeral is not about you.

Try to be as simple as possible. If confused, dress in black. What is appropriate funeral attire can vary on numerous factors, including the wishes of the deceased.

2. Avoid Taking Phone Calls Unless It’s Urgent

It’s best to switch off your phone during the funeral – or at least, turn down the volume. Listening to your call phone is often considered a disrespect to the deceased. It upsets the people near you.

In many funerals, organizers request people to turn their phones off before the service begins.

3. Avoid Laughing

Stating the obvious, you should avoid laughing at all costs during the service. No one expects you to break down in tears throughout the service, but laughing is not acceptable. It gives a message of disrespect and total disregard for the bereaved family and other guests.

It’s OK to enjoy a chat with people at a funeral and you might even have something amusing to share. But control your emotions and save the laughter for some other time.

4. Don’t Bring Uninvited Guests

It’s best to avoid bringing any guests with you to a funeral service unless they knew the deceased well. This service is extremely important for the bereaved family and a particular person’s presence might be upsetting for them.

If you still want to bring someone, it’s best to check first if you’re not sure.

5. Don’t Complain

Never complain about the proceedings of a funeral service. This is a stressful time for the family and they, of all people, want it to be perfect. If you think a particular service can be done better, then better keep the idea to yourself or wait until it’s the appropriate time.

Most people around you are very upset and it’s best to take their feelings into account as well.

6. Don’t Yawn

If anything, funerals aren’t supposed to be fun and exciting. They can be long and boring for some guests. And you can feel too bored during the service to start yawning. Avoid it at all costs as somebody close to the deceased might take offense at seeing somebody yawn.

Be sure to keep yourself involved with the service to help prevent boredom from setting in. Generally, funerals are not very long, so you won’t have to spend hours holding back your tiredness at funeral homes Mentor, OH. Contact the professionals at Orlando-Donsante-Previte Funeral Home today.

Planning a Funeral Service of A Child

Should you plan a service at funeral homes Willoughby Hills, OH? The question that no parent or caregiver would ever want to hear. Just the thought of arranging the funeral for a toddler gives overwhelming pain. But dealing with the final services of a child is an unfortunate reality that thousands of parents have to face every year.

At the same time, it’s also important to arrange the final services of a baby in a way that best honors the lost child as well as help parents cope with grief.

If you or your family member has to arrange a funeral for a baby, then consider the below tips to get started:

1. Choose the Funeral Type

First of all, decide whether you want a burial funeral, or cremation. Factors like family traditions and the opinions of your immediate family are going to affect this decision. But choose what best meets your needs and fits into your budget.

Depending on your choice, you’ll have to shop for a casket, for burial, or an urn for storing cremation ashes. Your funeral director also provides various options that fit your budget. You can personalize a casket or an urn with meaningful messages, images, or symbols.

2. Choose a Venue

After that, you’ll have to make after the death of your child is choosing what kind of service you want to arrange and how large. Most Christian families tend to host a traditional funeral in a church and invite close friends and family. While many prefer a more intimate and private gathering at a meaningful location to mourn the loss.

Remember, there’s no right or wrong way to grieve your lost child. Both memorial and funeral services are meant to honor your child with close ones and expedite the healing process.

3. Burial Clothing for the Child

Unless you’re barred by religious traditions, you can choose any clothing for the lost baby and additional personal items you want to be buried with them. Many parents tend to bury items like a blanket or a toy as a memento that the baby enjoyed or played with during life.

You can choose to bury family photos, hand-written letters of love, or hand-drawn pictures by siblings. Knowing your baby isn’t alone there is going to give your comfort and peace of mind.

4. Additional Services You Should Consider

You can discuss with your funeral director about various options available to customize the funeral and make it more memorable.

Music: Playing popular music along with instrumental songs and traditional hymns can bring an element of emotion to the ceremony. However, listen to the lyrics carefully before finalizing your selection and if your ceremony is religious, talk with your religious leader and take them on board.

Readings: Almost all kinds of funerals, religious or not, include readings. In a religious ceremony, families choose to have scriptures and other excerpts from a religious text read by a member of the clergy or any friend or family member.

While in non-religious services at funeral homes Willoughby Hills, OH, people prefer to read poems, story passages, quotes, or even child songs.

5 Stages Of Grief

Cremation services Willoughby Hills, OH put your loved one to rest, but can spark your grief. And worse, many of them are unprepared as our society does not teach about grief or how to process it in healthy ways.

Many studies have been done to understand the complicated grief journey and that’s where the five stages of the grief model came from. Developed by Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, it is the most admirable blueprint that helps us understand the grieving process, which is:

Denial
Anger
Bargaining
Depression
Acceptance

Let’s get into the details.

1. Denial Stage

The first reaction to the loss of a loved one. Soon after you hear horrible news from a doctor or a relative, the denial stage kicks in. The person can’t believe that the loss has occurred and he or she goes like, “This can’t be happening to me.”

Note that denial is not just about rejecting the death of a loved one. It can manifest in many forms like saying, “I’m fine” despite getting overwhelmed by grief.

2. Anger Stage

Followed by denial is the anger phase when your mind starts accepting the harsh reality. You realize that the loved one has left this world forever and you can no longer “deny” or fight against the situation.

And there can be millions of things you can be angry at. Maybe you become angered at the doctors for not treating the patient properly or for not saying something to the loved one when you had a chance. Or you may even direct your anger towards God: “How could You allow this to happen?”

This phase is often short lasting and is immediately followed by bargaining.

3. Bargaining Stage

During this stage, the grieving person tries to bargain with God or himself and plead to bring back the loved one. You wish, pray, or hope that your loved one will be saved in exchange for something.

4. Depression Stage

Often, the depression starts soon after hearing about the loss. But it comes hard when you have accepted the loss and try to adapt to the new reality without the loved one.

It can trigger unexpected behavior and emotions as the person may become overwhelmed and feel hostile towards anyone in her circle. This is often the longest and most painful phase of the grief journey.

5. Acceptance Stage

The fifth and final stage in the Kubler-Ross model as you have finally come to terms with the loss. It can take a few weeks to several months or years to reach the acceptance stage. You realize that there is nothing you can do to stop it.

Remember that grief and pain are still there, and emotions from the other stages may still arise at times. But the intensity and occurrence of these painful feelings die down. You experience more moments of happiness than bouts of grief and depression.

At this stage, you begin to plan how you will move on with your life and achieve your goals after cremation services Willoughby Hills, OH.

The Grief of Losing a Loved One

Cremation services Mentor, OH, and the death of a beloved family member or close friend can shake your world upside down. It is something all of us will likely experience during our lifetimes. Even though everyone responds to the loss in their own way, there are some commonly shared experiences – and grief is one of them.

It is a natural response to losing something important in life and can take a significant toll on your physical and mental health. Let us discuss more grief, including its key phases, physical symptoms, and how to cope with it.

The “Stages” of Grief

You might have already heard about the five stages of grief. Before understanding these phases in detail, note that not everyone experiences them to the same extent. And most importantly, not in a specific order.

But they still provide insights into explaining the symptoms of grief, particularly the emotional manifestations. Let’s read them out!

1. Denial: The initial reaction to losing a loved one. It accompanies shock, numbness, and disbelief that the loved one has left you forever. Your brain uses denial as a defense mechanism to minimize the impact of this tragic news and prepare your body for what’s to come.

2. Anger: Soon after denial, your body starts accepting the harsh reality and what follows the second stage of grief is called anger. It may not come right after denial, but feelings of helplessness and frustration at not being able to change what happened are too common among grieving.

This anger is natural and short-lived and it is often not healthy for the mourning person.

3. Bargaining: At this time, your mind has already accepted the hard fact and you start second-guessing your own behavior. You wish to strike a bargain with God or high power that if you had only done something – or not done something – your loved one may not have died.

This may seem unrealistic but it’s natural.

4. Depression: Probably the most painful and lasting phase of the grief journey. This is more than just sadness and crying; it often accompanies mixed feelings of regret, loneliness, and being overwhelmed. If lasted longer, this can also lead to physiological issues such as decreased appetite and insomnia.

5. Acceptance: The last stage of your grief journey is when you have accepted the reality of the situation. The symptoms of shock and depression after the death of a loved one subside and you come to terms with the loss. Depending on your relationship with the departed soul, it may a few weeks to months to even years to reach acceptance.

How to Cope with Grief

Sadly, there’s no magic cure you can take that can make your grief disappear overnight. However, you should:

Prioritize self-help
Take care of your diet and sleep well
Do exercise regularly
Spend time with family and friends
Indulge in a new hobby or activity
Consider reaching out for professional help from grief-related support groups, medical professionals, or a trusted friend. There’s no shame in asking for help when you need it.

These measures provide relief after cremation services Mentor, OH.

Ways to Honor a Death Anniversary

The anniversary of cremation services Waite Hill, OH is approaching and you want to honor them. This day brings all the happy memories you have spent together, also bringing a feeling of loss into sharp focus.

But celebrating your loved one on this special day give commemorates their memory while your grief is an outlet. If you’re thinking of giving a memorable tribute to the departed soul, here are some ideas for you:

1. Gather with Family and Friends

Nothing is more meaningful than creating a tradition with family and friends around the anniversary of your loved one. It is a practical way to offer mutual support to all the people feeling the loss, aside from honoring the departed soul.

Make it special by adding a special memory of your loved one. For instance, you can serve the favorite meal of your mom or dad to the guests and ask them to say a word or two in their memory. Or you arrange a gathering in mum’s special garden to reminisce about her happiest moments.

These gatherings also reinforce family bonds and keep the memory of your loved one alive.

2. Visit the Loved One’s Resting Place

Most people love to visit their loved one’s final resting place on their death anniversary. It can be at a cemetery, memorial garden, or wherever their ashes were scattered. Bring flowers and spend quiet time thinking of them and the memories you shared.

You can also plant a tree nearby in their memory. This will give you strength and hope that your loved one is in a better place and you’re doing everything you can to honor them.

3. Do Familiar Tasks at Home

Do you miss the quality time spent with your loved one, be it listening to music, watching a movie, or just being with each other?

Try to repeat these special memories. You can spend the whole day sitting around the house and doing what you would have done if the loved one was alive. Just get their favorite playlist and listen to it or watch the movie you two would enjoy together.

If anything, it’s ok to feel comfort in familiarity. But at the end of the day, try holding a small meetup maybe with your close family members or friends. This would remind you that you don’t need to carry the burden of your grief alone.

4. Enjoy the Company of Your Friends

Don’t feel the energy to get up and spend this day alone? Why not get support from your close family members or friends?

Taking the time to sit with your feelings and think about the person is a simple way to commemorate the day. Share their memory with other family members who are feeling the way you are. Turn your saddest moments into a lovely activity where you might shed some tears about also some laughs.

It doesn’t have to be a sophisticated meetup. Just some quiet time in a comfortable place away from the busy world may be all that’s needed after cremation services Waite Hill, OH.

Funeral Service on Budget

Funerals at funeral homes Mentor, OH can be expensive, depending on what services you choose. But that doesn’t mean you cannot arrange a memorable last service for your loved one without spending a fortune.

Below are some creative ideas to plan an affordable funeral. But remember that you won’t be able to follow all these tips in a single service, so choose the ones that suit your circumstances and wishes.

1. Explore All Your Options

Rule #1, never make a decision in haste. Before choosing what’s best for your loved one, be sure to go through all your options, like whether to select burial or cremation, which casket or urn to buy, what to serve to the guests, and so on.

Ask your funeral director to give you recommendations to make the service more memorable. Sit back, think about each option, and decide what meets your budget. This will save you from expensive mistakes.

2. Shop Around

Call up the funeral homes in your area and ask for pricing. Not only it will give you an idea about the prices of different services and products, but it will also help you decide if the funeral home is the right fit. If the prices are snippy or not so transparent, start looking for other options.

Try to hit the local market and get prices for the services you want. Also, explore online options and assess if you should buy from the funeral home or outside.

3. Negotiate to Get Discounts

Don’t shy from bargaining with the funeral home manager to keep costs to a minimum. It’s their job to make arrangements that suit your needs, and they can help you best when they know what you want.

Simply asking for the prices of different items may help you get better rates on certain products or services. But be reasonable. The funeral director and staff need to earn a living.

Another simple idea for saving money is asking for an itemized price list in advance of all the services you will be purchasing. Often, funeral homes offer a complete funeral package that also includes the services you don’t even want. Get a quote for individual services to ensure you don’t have any surprise charges tacked on.

4. Keep Obituary Brief

An obituary is a death notice that you post in the local newspaper to inform the local community about the loss and the funeral details. It also highlights key phases and achievements of the departed soul,

Remember that newspapers often charge per word for the obituary. Make it short for big savings. Or post the obituary online with a free memorial website to save money.

5. Preplan Your Service

Want to save your loved ones from the hassle of spending lots of money on your final services? Start preplanning for your own funeral. Not only you can start paying for the services you want, but it also gives you the chance to celebrate your last services at funeral homes Mentor, OH, as you wanted without overburdening the family.

Planning the Committal Service

Wondering what exactly is a committal service and how it is different from a regular funeral at funeral homes Waite Hill, OH? And how do you plan a perfect committal event for a lost loved one? Here’s everything you need to know about committal service to get started.

What Is a Committal Service?

In simple words, a committal service is simply a graveside service. Just before lowering the deceased into the ground, close friends and family gather together and say a few words of tribute and prayers. This will be the final goodbye for the family and should be treated with dignity and respect.

Traditionally, the committal service is held immediately after a funeral service. It is a brief event that takes around 15-20 minutes. Note that you can have a committal service with no separate funeral or memorial at all.

How to Plan a Committal

While your funeral director will give useful tips on how to plan a perfect committal service, here are a few common things you should know about:

1. Choose a Burial Site

First, you need to buy a plot in the cemetery, if you haven’t already. Want to save some money? Check with cemetery offices to see if someone is trying to sell a plot. Generally, you manage to purchase it for less from an individual.

Else, get the plot from the cemetery.

2. Arrange for Burial Arrangements

You need to contact the sexton or caregiver, who is responsible for handling all the necessary details for the ceremony. The person will dig the grave and also fill it, a process called “Closed”. Setting up the tents and chairs is his responsibility.

Want to personalize the event? Bring flowers or a photo memorial board and set it up. You may ask the funeral director to arrange it.

3. Plan the Service

Generally, you need a pastor or a minister to officiate the service. Ask your funeral director to get you in touch with an officiant and discuss details with them, like what Scriptures you want to have read. The officiant will also want some information so that he can write a short eulogy.

Note that hiring a registered officiant is not compulsory. You can ask a family member or friend to lead the service. Or you can also ask the funeral director to say some words.

Many families wish to have friends and family step up and speak for a minute at the service, offering one last tribute to the departed soul. If you also love this idea, be sure not many guests speak for longer than a couple of minutes each. The committal service is supposed to be a short event, ranging hardly half an hour.

4. Other Considerations

It is always a good idea to check the weather on that particular day and time. Rain, heat, wind, snow, and cold can be deterrents to having this type of service. Also, get recommendations from funeral homes Waite Hill, OH, about how to make the event more memorable.

Funeral Crowdfunding

With record-breaking inflation around the world, funeral homes Willoughby Hills, OH can get quite expensive – especially if the loved one died a sudden or unexpected death. Taking care of all the funeral arrangements within a short period can be a little too much for many middle-class families.

Many people don’t prepare or set aside money to cover this expense, leaving the whole burden for the left ones. Many families, resort to funeral fundraising to give the last sendoff to the deceased.

What is Funeral Crowdfunding

If you use social media, you are probably already familiar with the term ‘Funeral Crowdfunding.’ In simple terms, crowdfunding pertains to the donation of money by the general public to support a family bear the expenses of funeral services.

Even though funeral crowdfunding is a fast-expanding industry and helps needy families, it has some major downsides. Below is a short list of some of the problems you might face when setting up crowdfunding for the funeral expense of a loved one:

1. Taxation Issues

Donations gathered under funeral crowdfunding are considered gifts and don’t fall under the ambit of taxation. But some donations that found national attention can reach millions of dollars and catch the attention of the IRS.

That’s why crowdfunding websites are mandated to inform the IRS if donations for a funeral exceed $20,000 or get more than 200 contributors. And unsurprisingly, the administrator of the campaign can get a big tax notice and face legal complications.

2. You May Not Get Enough Funds

Since burial funerals can easily cost thousands of dollars, any fundraising campaigns fail to drum up enough money to bear the expenses.

It can be even tough moments for the bereaved if the campaign earns half or even less expenditure as they have to arrange for the remainder of funds within a short bracket of time.

3. Beware of Funeral Homes’ Ripping Customers Off

Funeral homes often take advantage of grieving customers and charge exorbitant prices for their services. If a campaign manages to earn sufficient funds, it encourages funeral homes to upsell services. That is, they charge overpriced services to match the donations.

4. The Whole Funeral Crowdfunding Story Might be Fake

There is no way of knowing if a story on social media is true and if money is going to the bereaved family. Many families have also been found to lie about the total funds collected and keep apportion of the funds as profit.

The ease of setting up a fundraising campaign coupled with a lax procedure to authenticate its veracity compels crooks to initiate a fake campaign and solicit money out of people’s pockets.

These funds have an equal probability of being misused. And there’s no brainer that most of these campaigns fail to achieve the desired target.

All these points prove that it’s best to preplan your funeral service and start saving for it not tomorrow but today. This will save your family from a lot of hassles when the time for funeral homes Willoughby Hills, OH, comes.

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