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EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was planned many months ago as part of this laregly themed edition, “Services For Seniors, ” and is sponsopred by RoseLynn Funeral Home in Lutcher. L’OBSERVATEUR invites the public to contibute information about people or organizations in our communities who are offering services for our seniors. Submissions can be made by calling 985-652-9545 or at brooke.robichaux@lobservateur.com.

Coping with the death of a loved one is never easy. Dealing with a sudden, unexpected death of a beloved friend or family member can be even more difficult, especially for those people who have to make important financial decisions while grieving.

To remove the burden and stress associated with funeral planning, many adults preplan their funerals. Adults can be as specific as they prefer to be when preplanning their funerals, and doing so gives relatives peace of mind knowing that their loved ones’ funeral services were conducted in accordance to their own wishes.

Preplanning a funeral may sound morbid, as few people want to think about their deaths or discuss dying with their families. But there are numerous benefits to preplanning funerals.

• Preplanning provides time to make the best decisions. Men and women who preplan their funerals have ample time to decide just what they want their memorial services to be like and how they want to fund those services. Men and women trusted to make those decisions upon the death of a loved one will need to make those decisions more quickly and likely won’t be in the correct frame of mind to make decisions that will honor their loved one’s legacy.
• Preplanning ensures your wishes are honored. Men and women who formalize their funeral plans will ensure their wishes are honored. That can give men and women peace of mind and will provide peace of mind to the loved ones they leave behind, who can attend funeral services knowing those services are being conducted in adherence to their loved one’s wishes. Even men and women who discuss their wishes for their funerals with loved ones may not have those wishes honored if they are not put in writing.
• Preplanning can help control costs. Preplanning often includes men and women setting aside money for their funerals before they pass away. Knowing that a funeral, which can be expensive, is already paid for can provide additional peace of mind. Instead of worrying that their relatives will be forced to handle the burden of financing their funerals, men and women who preplan can rest easy knowing their insurance money and life’s savings will be going to their surviving loved ones and not toward paying for funeral expenses.
• Preplanning protects families faced with sudden death. Few people want to think about their deaths, and fewer still want to think about dying suddenly and/or dying young. Preplanning a funeral and setting money aside early can protect and help families faced with sudden deaths. That can be especially important for young parents, who won’t want to leave their spouses and children financially destitute should they suddenly pass away.

Preplanning a funeral may not be something to look forward to, but doing so can protect families and provide men and women with some peace of mind.