How Many People Actually Plan Ahead?

How Many People Actually Plan Ahead?

Every day, 2,000 people prearrange and prepay for their funeral wishes across North America. Every year across the country tens of thousands of Canadians make some form of pre-arrangement for their funeral or final sendoff. However, approximately two-thirds of Canadians do not pre-plan their funeral. This is because many people do not understand the benefits of pre-planning or what options there are available to them through working with a funeral home. It may be morbid to think about, but if you died today, would you have left behind any plan or wishes for your final sendoff? Or would your family begin scrambling to pull it all together? 

Planning Doesn’t Have to be a Formal Thing

It is a common misconception that deters Canadians every year: pre-planning is a contractual thing between a person and a funeral home. While that happens, it is not mandatory. There are ways to structure and formalize funeral pre-arrangements, so planning ahead can be as simple as having a discussion with your family, putting your wishes into writing or simply a mix of the two. The idea of leaving something behind for your loved ones is more about ensuring that they know how you want to be treated after you die. You'll want to answer questions like:
  • Have you documented important information about yourself?
  • Do you want to be cremated or buried in the community cemetery? 
  • Would you like a formal funeral where people dress up and attend church or a celebration of life that represents their life lived? 
The important thing is that it is all up to you, but just remember that it is for your family. 

Death Doesn't Need to be a Scary Topic

Yes, there are far fewer horror movies made about taxes or weddings than there are about death and funerals. However, death is no different than other things in life we can’t change. Without getting too deep into the existential, consider death as a fact of life. In the same way that we plan for filing our yearly income tax or saving for our children’s education - we should plan for our own death. Simply by changing the way we look at death, more Canadians would see the familial and social value of pre-planning their funerals. Have a talk with those close to you, whether it is close friends, family or other acquaintances like co-workers. See what they have to say. You’ll quickly find yourself having more ideas and feeling more comfortable with the topic. 

Talk About It with Your Family

The natural place to start the discussion on pre-planning is by talking it out with your family. Some of us are going to have strong preferences about what happens when we die, while others will have their ideas heavily influenced by those around them. This type of input is valuable for everyone involved, whether it be listening or being heard. You may be surprised by the kind of positive conversation that can come from discussing death. 

Ask your parents, ask your spouse, talk to your kids and see what they all have to say about your end of life plans, or lack thereof. On that note, we also suggest that you speak to older members of your immediate family that may not yet have arranged any formal or informal plans for their death. Having this conversation with them may just give them a needed boost to get the process started. 

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