Funeral services play an essential role as a conduit for expressing grief, remembering the deceased, and providing closure to family and friends. They are a critical aspect of our society, helping us commemorate the lives of loved ones and comfort the bereaved. One of the most profound elements of these services is the selection of the final resting place for the departed. For many, this choice is cremation services. Not far away, cremation services, Mentor, OH, are recognized for embracing this ancient method with a modern approach to healing and remembrance.

Understanding Funeral Services

Funeral services act as an anchor for the grieving family, providing love and support during a time of loss. They facilitate a gathering of individuals who loved, respected, or had a relationship with the deceased. This gathering becomes a platform to share memories and grief, helping everyone in attendance to heal.

The Importance of Celebrating Life

Celebrating the deceased’s life is an integral part of the healing process. It is about focusing on their accomplishments, positive attributes, and the impact they made while alive. A funeral service provides a platform for this celebration, allowing attendees to share stories, life achievements, and the deceased’s impact on their lives. By celebrating the life lived, it helps de-emphasize the negativity associated with death.

The Role of Cremation in Funeral Services

Cremation is a centuries-old practice embraced by various cultures and religions worldwide. It provides an eco-friendly alternative to traditional burials, which plays into the growing environmental consciousness. The ashes can be spread in a meaningful location, kept in an urn, or made into keepsakes, allowing the memory of the deceased to continue living in a tangible form.

Personalizing Funeral Services

Customizing funeral services allows the bereaved to honor and remember the deceased in a personal and meaningful way. From unique urns for the ashes to memorial videos, there are numerous ways to celebrate a loved one’s life.

Embracing New Traditions in Funeral Services

Traditions are evolving, and funeral services are no exception. For instance, some families are choosing to hold ‘Celebrations of Life,’ which are less formal and focus more on the joyful aspects of their loved one’s life rather than their death. Cremation services facilitate these evolving traditions by offering flexibility in terms of when, where, and how these services can be carried out.

The role of funeral services in celebrating life is indeed significant and multifaceted. They allow us to honor, remember, and celebrate our loved ones in personal and meaningful ways. Cremation services have become an integral part of these celebrations, offering a sustainable and flexible alternative to traditional methods. Providers like these go a step further, enhancing the healing process by respecting the crucial role each funeral service plays using a modern approach to an age-old practice. As we navigate our journey of grief and healing, reliable and compassionate cremation services Mentor, OH, can support us in paying unique and meaningful tribute to our loved ones.

End your journey of grief and start celebrating the lives of your loved ones with dignity and honor. Contact Orlando-Donsante-Previte Funeral Home today to start planning a unique tribute.

Should the drink be served at the funeral home? When deciding on a funeral for your loved one, think about the details that you will add to make them special. You also need to think about what you can do to make sure everyone is comfortable in the service. One way to do this at funeral homes Mentor, OH is to sell your drinks at the funeral home. Here are some reasons why it’s best to serve drinks directly at the funeral home.

Allows For Longer Services

When planning an anticipated funeral, expect the guests to be hungry. If your funeral service is going to last all day, you want the guest to be with you from start to finish. When they are hungry, they participate less in the celebration of life and may be more likely to leave before everything is finished. While you are planning the funeral, you can make it happy and relaxed by offering drinks and snacks. When they are hungry, thirsty, or need to rest, there is no need to go and they will be able to take a break, come back refreshed, and continue to pay their respects to the deceased.

No Need For Catering Or A Reception

If you have plans to prepare food and drinks for the funeral, doing so while watching will save time and maybe even money. This is common and a great way to bring everyone together and make sure you have something for them to eat and drink after a long day at the funeral home. If you don’t have time, or can’t hold a reception, or can’t pay for the food, you can use the funeral home to serve food and drinks to your guests. That way, you have no reason to go elsewhere to prepare food and you can make it easy for everyone to stay in one place and still get food and drinks.

Keeps Everyone Close

When you lose a loved one, you want loved ones to be close to you. If they’re not comfortable with these services, they’re more likely to go away and meet somewhere else. One way to be more stable and have a shoulder to cry on is to offer snacks and drinks. Then they don’t have to eat out or rush home to cook. They will have everything they need to enjoy the service and pay tribute to loved ones who have passed, no need to leave the service earlier or schedule dinner elsewhere.

If you’re planning a funeral at a funeral homes Mentor, OH, and want to decide whether to serve your refreshments at the funeral home or plan a reception somewhere else, then consider the ideas and suggestions above. This can help you decide if this option is right for your family. To get help with planning the funeral, please contact Orlando-Donsante-Previte Funeral Home. We are happy to support you in all matters relating to funeral planning. You can visit us or give us a call and ask all your questions. For more information about our services and facilities, contact us today or schedule a viewing.

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.

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.

Cremation services Mentor, OH, is now considered a go-to disposition type for many families. Today, people are exploring more flexible and eco-friendly options to honor the final services of a departed soul.

Let us take a quick look at these funeral types to decide what’s best for you or your family when the time comes:

1. In-Ground Burial
2. Above Ground Burial – Public or Private Mausoleum
3. Cremation
4. Natural Burial

Below is a detailed description of these funeral types:

1. In-Ground Burial

It is exactly as it sounds. The deceased’s body is placed in a casket and subsequently put into a vault or other burial container and lower into the ground. The casket as usual is made of steel or concrete.

After the burial, a gravestone engraved with an epigraph is typically placed at the gravesite which serves as a memorial.

2. Above Ground Burial

In this type, the body is placed in a casket but instead of burying it under the soil, the casket is preserved in a public or private mausoleum or lawn crypt. Choosing either mausoleum or lawn crypt as the resting place depends on the family’s preferences.

The big difference between a mausoleum and a lawn crypt is that whereas the former is a building that families may enter, the latter is an underground structure. Note that a lawn crypt also allows two bodies to be buried in the same place.

3. Cremation

Cremation is the final disposition of a deceased body through burning. The last few years have witnessed a remarkable increase in the popularity of direct cremation funerals. Not only is it less expensive than traditional burials but also gives more flexibility to the families to honor the deceased.

However, the religious factor comes into play in cremation families. While Hindus are obligated to cremate the body, this practice is considered prohibited in Muslim and conservative Jewish traditions.

In any case, cremation can be a great option for those who wish to take part in a scattering of ashes. Not to mention, direct cremation is the most cost-effective funeral type.

4. Natural Burial

With the increase in environmental consciousness among people, natural burials have become a go-to alternative to traditional burials. It is a great option for people who wish to pursue an eco-friendly funeral.

Unlike traditional burial, it process does not use embalming fluid, a casket, or a vault. It instead allows a body to decompose naturally into the earth. This also preserves wildlife aside from saving invaluable natural resources.

Choosing the Right Funeral Type

A funeral is a highly personalized event. Which funeral type to select is the sole prerogative of the bereaved family – if the deceased hasn’t left a Will.

But these factors also come into play when choosing the type of funeral:

• Any cultural or religious factors
• Personal wishes or preferences
• How much you’re willing to spend.

After making a choice, you have to make the below decisions:

• Should there be a religious reading at the funeral?
• Where should the funeral take place?
• Who should read a eulogy?
• Who should attend the funeral?
• How should attendees dress for the funeral?
• When should I host the ceremony?

You may decide that cremation services Mentor, OH, is the right choice. Contact us today.

Today, choosing a final disposition method for the lost loved one boils down to either cremation services Mentor, OH, or burial. What option you select depends on many factors, including the deceased’s preferences, beliefs, priorities, finances, family situation, and so on.

Still confused?

Let’s look at the two options in detail to give you a great start on deciding whether burial or cremation is best for you.

What is Burial?

Burial is considered the “traditional” option in the United States and much of the Western world. A body can be buried in the ground at a cemetery or on private property.

Most families decide to bury their loved ones in a cemetery or other designated burial grounds. But some choose to place the body in a mausoleum – also called above-ground burial.

The last few years have also witnessed the resurgence of green burial or natural burial. This is the practice of returning the human body to the earth in the most natural, eco-friendly way possible. It doesn’t involve the use of embalming fluid and metallic or wooden casket.

Pros of Burial

It provides a burial place the family can visit. A graveside funeral can be very comforting and emotionally satisfying for family and friends.

It gives enough time to the family to plan and execute a perfect plan that speaks to the personality of the deceased.

With the availability of eco-friendly and sustainable options, such as the “natural burial” methods, you have plenty of choices.

Many religious traditions prescribe full-body burial.

Cons of Burial

Generally, burial costs more than cremation. Casket/coffin costs are much higher than cremation urns. Similarly, the costs include a cemetery plot, digging expenses, grave liner, and headstones.

Traditional burial is not an eco-friendly option. Involves expensive and environmentally harmful chemicals used in embalming.

Moving a body after burial is very difficult or even impossible due to laws, regulations, and logistics costs

What is Cremation

In simple terms, cremation is a final disposition method where a dead body is turned to ashes through burning. Compared to burial, it takes significantly less time and thus, it doesn’t need any embalming or the use of caskets.

The fact that the cremated remains are returned to the family gives much more flexibility and a variety of options for memorial services after the cremation. The family can scatter the remains in whatever way they like, be it scattering on land or at sea, burying them in the garden or the deceased’s favorite place, turning it into jewelry, or keeping some of the ashes in a locket near your heart, and so on.

Even with cremation, you can choose just about all of the services and options offered by the funeral home. But the simplest and cheapest option is direct cremation in which the person’s body is cremated “directly” after death without viewing services.

Pros of Cremation

The biggest advantage is the lower cost associated with cremation.

Flexibility in disposition options, personalization choices, and the ability to move the ashes.

No additional shopping aside from buying the urn.

Schedule the memorial or scattering service anytime you want.

Cons of Cremation

Cremation is permanent. The process cannot be undone.

Some religions or cultures do not approve of cremation.

With this information, you’re in a better position to decide what’s best for you, a burial or cremation services Mentor, OH.

Gone are the days when funeral flowers were considered the most suitable option to send to a bereaving family after cremation services Mentor, OH. But the trend is changing fast and not to mention, and many people find them depressing.

After all, a sad collection of wilting flowers isn’t exactly the image you want to leave with the recipient of your memorial gift. Thus, we are here with some creative yet thoughtful options you can choose to send when someone dies.

1. Send A Practical Gift

While flowers offer a great way to express your sympathies and condolences, why not send something useful for the funeral? If you share a close relationship with the bereaved family, call a family member and ask to provide something that will help with the funeral.

Avoid asking “How can I help?”, as it is almost always turned down. Instead say that you would like to help by taking care of one of the following items, and ask which would be best:

• Guestbook for the service
• Framed and printed photo for a memorial table
• Funeral/memorial service invitations
• Any creative items for the themed memorial tables
• Funeral favors to pass out to attendees
• Pre-printed thank-you cards
• Reception table centerpieces

2. Send a Sympathy Meal

Sending a sympathy meal can be a lovely way of supporting the family who is grieving the death of a loved one. During such overwhelming times, cooking food is the least of the priorities of the bereaved family.

Gifting them food is a considerate way of showing that you care for them. It gives an even more personal message if you made the food yourself. But ordering the food for them or giving them food vouchers still serve the purpose. It takes away the stress of preparing food and enables them to navigate through this emotionally challenging time without additional worries.

3. A Collection of Candles

Since time immemorial, candles have been associated with mourning. They can be a perfect alternative to sympathy flowers. Many people find that lighting a candle and taking time out can be a positive way of remembering the life of their loved ones.

4. A Charity Donation

What is more personal than donating money in the name of the departed soul? And more so, if the deceased had a favorite charity.

Making a charity donation is one of the most popular alternatives to sympathy flowers. Want to take it a step further, give donations to the family to handle the funeral expenses – particularly, if the deceased didn’t have insurance in place or their family has little money to put towards the funeral service.

The family would remember this gesture for a long time to come.

5. Write a Heartfelt Letter

Last but not least, a few words from your heart can mean the world to the grieving family. Write a letter and tell the family how much you appreciated their loved one. You could tell stories about their loved one that you were part of. It leaves a lasting impact on them after cremation services Mentor, OH. Contact us today.

Cremation services Mentor, OH, are just one part of the grief journey. You have probably heard about how the grieving person navigates their journey through the five common stages of grief. But unsurprisingly, grief is not something that can be pre-defined for every single individual.

Recent studies show that a grieving person goes through different phases before returning to normalcy. Keep in mind that these stages are not linear and can happen in any order, depending on the individual’s relationship with the deceased.

Here is a quick sneak peek:

Healing takes Place Slowly

Don’t rush your body to heal quickly. Allow yourself the time to heal. It can be a long and painful journey that can take a toll on your physical and mental health. Giving yourself the time you need to process the loss is vital.

Grief is Universal Yet Unique for Everyone

Everyone feels grief at some point but no two persons grieve in the same manner. This is important for every mourning person as you shouldn’t fall victim to anyone explaining how you “should” be feeling.

Thus, accept your feelings and let the body cope with them naturally. Don’t push yourself just because someone else is going through different emotions.

Shock is a Critical Phase of the grieving process.

Shock is often the very first response when you hear about a loss. Feelings of numbness and denial also accompany shock. The intensity of this phase depends on factors like the degree of the relationship, the cause of death, and whether it was a sudden or unexpected death.

Grief Can Cause Anxiety and Depression.

Probably the most common yet painful phase of the grief journey. The mourner is going to experience bouts of depression and sadness during the grieving process.

If you’re unable to get back depression, reach out to your support group. Talking about your grief with a close friend or a family member will help you work through the depression stage.

Grief Can Take a Toll on Your Health

Grief can take a toll on your mental and physical health. Watch out for this, and do your best to prioritize your health. Keep up a healthy lifestyle of exercise, good nutrition, and sleep routines.

Hope Hastens the Healing Journey

No matter how powerful and painful the grief journey is, never try to run away or hide it. You’re eventually going to overcome it. It will take time and resolution, but with time, you will see improvement.

Think of other important things in your life and how you need to stand up and face the challenge for them. Don’t let loneliness or pessimistic thoughts engulf your mind.

Acceptance Doesn’t Mean You Have Forgot the Deceased

Most importantly, moving forward doesn’t mean forgetting the lost loved one. Instead, it reflects that your loss has changed you, but you have not been defeated by it. The experience of coping with grief will help you discover new strengths within yourself. You begin to visualize the future with confidence after cremation services Mentor, OH. Contact us today.

Cremation services Mentor, OH, are not easy, especially if your loved one’s death was unexpected. However, planning the final service can help you say goodbye.

It’s natural to accept that making funeral arrangements while coping with the grief of the sudden demise of a beloved is tough. More so, not knowing where to begin can further augment the pain.

Given this, we have provided step-by-step instructions to help you steer through this journey one step at a time.

1. Notify the Relevant Authorities.

First things first, notify the relevant authorities about the death of a loved one. Now, the order of events depends on where the death occurred.

If they died at home or in the workplace, you need to call for a medical emergency. The attending doctor or a medical examiner will examine the body and pronounce the death officially.

If the person died at a hospital or hospice care, a doctor or a physician will apprise you of the death and ask you to fill out the required paperwork certifying the time and cause of the death.

But if the person died due to unnatural causes, then you need to call 911 or the relevant LEA before moving the body of the deceased.

2. Get in Contact with a Professional Funeral Director

After registering the death of the loved one with a relevant department, you need to start shopping for a funeral director. Spending enough time to find a perfect funeral director would save you from many troubles down the road.

Most hospitals and nursing homes expect you to remove the body within a few hours, so ask your funeral director to transport the body and complete the death certificate.

You need to make several decisions like where you wish the deceased to be buried, the type of marker or monument you need, the type of casket, and so on. Having a cooperative and professional funeral director will ease this for you.

3. Write an Obituary to Notify the People

While you can inform the closest friends and family in person about the loss, you still need to write an obituary. It is a death notice containing the deceased’s name, their brief biography, names of the surviving family members, and the time and location of the funeral service.

An obituary is necessary to communicate the news to people outside your direct contact or closest relationships. This obituary will be printed in a local newspaper and lately, many families publish it online as well. Any requests for donations or charities may also be included in the obituary.

4. Plan the Final Disposition Services

If the deceased had a will about funeral arrangements, then plan all services accordingly. Else, take the input of immediate family and funeral director and plan to give the best end-of-life tribute to your loved one.

A good funeral director will provide you several options, like catering, music, floral arrangements, etc. to help you better customize and personalize the funeral as per your wishes. Plan your cremation services Mentor, OH, today.