Category: funeral home

Before our loved ones are planning our funerals at funeral homes in Monticello, FL, there are several end of life documents that we should get and keep updated with current information until we draw our last breaths.

 

One end of life document you should get now is a durable power of attorney. A durable power of attorney lets you appoint one or more people to handle legal, business, and financial affairs for you if you are not able to because you become incapacitated.

 

Why is it important that you get a durable power of attorney now?

 

Suppose you end up having emergency medical surgery on Wednesday of next week. An important legal, business, or financial transaction, however, has already been scheduled for that day.

 

You are incapacitated because of the anesthesia given to you for the surgery. Without a durable power of attorney, the scheduled transaction cannot take place. It might result in the loss of a business expansion that your company needed.

 

It might result in the loss of the opportunity to close on the purchase of a prime commercial or residential real estate sale. It might result in the loss of an opportunity to purchase shares of a company’s highly anticipated IPO.

 

So, even if your physical end of life seems like it is far away in the distant, there are times in your current life where having a durable power of attorney can make all the difference in the world.

 

Older Americans are more likely to be incapacitated by cognitive problems and the development of dementia. You need to make sure that someone you trust to handle your affairs has been designated as your durable power of attorney. This not only protects you and your assets, but it also protects the inheritance that you intend to leave to your family members.

 

Another end of life document you should get now is a medical power of attorney. A medical power of attorney document is a legal instrument that lets you appoint one or more people to oversee your health care if you are not able to do it yourself.

 

If you are younger and healthy, you may not think you need a healthcare power of attorney. However, if you have an accident or suffer a critical medical event that leaves you unconscious or unresponsive, if you do not have a medical power of attorney, the medical team providing care for you will decide what the best medical care is for you.

 

You will not have a medical advocate who can make sure your wishes are adhered to.

 

Therefore, you should also get a living will, no matter what your age or health status. A living will lets you determine what kind of care you receive if you are in a life-threatening situation.

 

If you do not have a living will, your medical team will exhaust every medical intervention that they believe is necessary for your care will be used. If that’s what you want, even if it could lead to negative outcomes in the long run or it will still end in death, then not having a living will is okay.

 

However, if you do not want this kind of medical intervention when you are in a life-threatening condition, then a living will lets you specify that. Your medical team is obligated to abide by your wishes.

 

If you want to learn more about end of life documents from funeral homes in Monticello, FL, our compassionate and experienced staff at Lifesong Funerals & Cremations can help.

When loved ones don’t want to have funerals at funeral homes in Havana, FL, their families can struggle because they want to be able to honor and remember their loved one, surrounded by friends and other families for support and encouragement.

 

You may be in this situation with your loved one. You are wrestling with the desire to honor your loved one’s wishes and your own desire to pay your respects to their memory and to say a final farewell.

 

This happens a lot. Perhaps you do not know, however, that you have some options where can honor your loved one’s wishes and you and your family can still have a commemorative event that enables you to pay your respects to them and say goodbye.

 

A funeral visitation is one such event. With a visitation, all friends, extended family members, neighbors, and colleagues have an opportunity to come by the funeral home to offer comfort and support to you and your family. This is no way compromises the wishes that your loved one had to not have a funeral.

 

To have some kind of event to mark the death of your loved one offers closure and it begins the healing process of grieving someone you have lost. An event that provides comfort and understanding helps you and your family when you are dealing with such sadness and grief about your loved one’s death.

 

Additionally, having a commemorative event helps you to remember that although your loved one has died, you and your family are not alone. A commemorative event can also allow others to show their care for your loved one and to talk about the ways they made a difference in their lives.

 

Another kind of memorial event that honors your loved one’s wishes and fulfills your need for a service is a tribute ceremony. A tribute ceremony features important aspects of your loved one’s life. It can include a focus on things they were passionate about or committed to.

 

For example, if your loved one was an avid supporter of a particular college or professional sport, you could set up a display that shows their team memorabilia, including jerseys, caps, and photos of them at games. If your loved one was an artist, you could set up a display that features their artwork.

 

Another way that you can honor the memory of your loved one is to have an informal gathering where you, your family, and others can share your memories and stories of loved ones.

 

You could have this gathering anywhere and include food as part of the gathering. Some people do this at home by having everyone who attends cook a favorite dish of their deceased loved one. Other people hold their gathering in their loved one’s favorite restaurant. Where you have it is not as important. What happens during this gathering is.

 

No matter what kind of memorial event you create to remember your loved one who specifically requested that no funeral be held for them, you and your family can have peace of mind that you did not disrespect their wishes, but that you are able to experience closure and have the comfort and care of everyone who knew your loved one.

 

The rituals of funerals are designed to promote the healing process, and having a memorial event can put you and your family on that road as you move forward in life without your loved one.

 

If you want to know more about ceremonies that are not funerals at funeral homes in Havana, FL, our compassionate and experienced staff at Lifesong Funerals & Cremations can help.

After funerals at funeral homes in Monticello, FL, grieving family members may find it difficult to go to sleep, get enough sleep, or to get quality sleep. It is normal for most grieving people to experience some difficulty sleeping.

 

Processing the loss of someone you love is very stressful and emotional. Because of this additional stress, you may find your ability to sleep and the quality of sleep that you get when you finally do sleep is adversely affected.

 

An on-going lack of sleep or poor quality sleep can result in sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation is be hazardous even in performing normal day-to-day activities, such as driving or working around heavy equipment, because accidents are more likely to happen. Sleep deprivation also allows toxins to start accumulating in the brain, which can eventually lead to cognitive impairment and dementia.

 

However, there are measures you can take that may help you sleep better.

 

One inhibition to sleep is tension and anxiety, which can keep your brain in high gear all the time. Find something that relaxes you and puts your mind to ease. Develop a nightly bedtime ritual where you call it a day and you don’t do anything but the things that allow you to relax. One thing that will help is to disconnect from all electronic devices (including television) at least two hours before bedtime. Hot decaffeinated tea can be soothing while you do relaxing things. This gives your mind a break from the reality of your loss. A warm shower taken right before going to bed can also relax you and help make falling to sleep easier.

 

Your bedroom should be a place that makes sleep inviting. If your spouse has died, the bedroom you shared may make you feel lonely and sad. Makeover the room by painting the room a different color, moving all the furniture around, and purchasing new bed linens and window treatment to make the bedroom into a new room. If this is not in your budget yet, you should move to another bedroom in the house and make it your own.

 

If you decide to transform your bedroom, be aware of the effects of different paint colors. The most calming color, according to research is blue, so you could pair a lighter shade of blue with a light tan color (earth tone colors are also calming) could make your bedroom more inviting to sleep in. While bright, vivid colors on your bedroom walls may seem like a good idea because they’d elevate your mood, they can also stimulate your mind, which will make it harder to fall asleep and to sleep well.

 

Good sleep is more likely when you exercise daily. Exercise helps alleviate stress and burns energy, which can decrease restlessness and how long it takes you to fall asleep. Choose something you love to do for your exercise routine. Incorporate this into your daily schedule – preferably at the same time every day – and do it for at least 30 minutes.

 

Losing someone you love is very difficult and grieving that loss is very stressful. But you can reduce some of the mental, emotional, and physical toll that grief takes by trying to get healthy, restorative sleep every night.

 

For resources that can help with sleep after funerals at funeral homes in Monticello, FL, our sympathetic and experienced staff at Lifesong Funerals & Cremations is available to help.

There will be flowers at funerals at funeral homes Havana, FL. Even if you request charitable donations in lieu of flowers, there will be some people who will still send flowers or plants to the funeral home or to your home address. Flowers have a historical role in funerals that makes them an intrinsic and traditional part to this day in funerals. You will never attend or be part of a funeral that doesn’t have flowers.

 

The use of flowers in the old days in funerals was not so much as an expression of emotions or feelings. Instead, funeral flowers had a very practical purpose. Flowers were used to control the not-so-pleasant smell of bodies as they naturally decomposed.

 

Before embalming became an integrated part of the funeral process and before refrigerated storage was available for funeral homes, bodies decomposed rather rapidly. Flowers were used by funeral home directors to drape around the casket – which is still traditional today – to cover up the smell, which could be rather hard to bear.

 

One of the most well-known examples of this was the funeral of President Andrew Jackson in 1874. Since President Jackson was not embalmed and several days passed before his funeral was help, the odor from his decomposing body was horrendous. Funeral Director Lazarus C. Shepard closed President Jackson’s casket and heaped fragrant flowers around and on top of the casket to hold the noxious smell in check until President Jackson’s funeral was finished.

 

However, once embalming was introduced into the funeral process and other preservation techniques improved, there was no longer a practical need for flowers. But by then, flower had come to represent a visible expression of sympathy, care, respect, and love for the deceased and the deceased’s family.

 

 

Flowers that are sent to funerals today are meant to express sympathetic sentiment and emotional support for grieving families. Not only are flowers sent to the funeral home, but flowers – or plants – may also be sent to the home of family of the diseased.

 

While many people are foregoing flowers and asking for donations to different organizations instead, there will still be a group of people who believe that flowers are more personal and can do a better job of expressing their condolences than making a contribution to the requested charity or organization.

 

Flowers are necessary to establish the atmosphere for the funeral service. Even now, if we attended a funeral service where there were absolutely no flowers, the service would seem cold and impersonal. We might even silently wonder if the deceased had any family or friends who truly loved and cared about them.

 

Flowers are embedded in the funeral tradition and they will never go away completely. The family of the deceased, even if they are asking for donations instead of flowers, is responsible for purchasing the casket spray. This spray may have flowers in the deceased’s favorite color or the deceased’s favorite flowers.

 

Different kinds of flowers have very specific meanings for funerals. Lilies, for example, which are ubiquitous in funerals, are symbolic of a return to innocence and purity. Carnations are also a popular funeral flower. Red carnations symbolize respect, while white carnations express remembrance. Roses are the third most common funeral flower selection. White roses symbolize humility and youthfulness, while yellow roses symbolize friendships.

 

For more ideas about funeral flowers at funeral homes Havana, FL, our sympathetic and experienced staff at Lifesong Funerals & Cremations is available to help.

When you’re attending funerals at funeral homes in Quincy, FL, you should remember that funerals are special occasions to pay respect and honor the memory of someone who has died. Because of that, you should follow some general guidelines about what you should and should not wear to a funeral.

The most important thing you need to know when you are dressing to attend a funeral service is that you do not want to draw attention away from the deceased person or the bereaved family because of what you’re wearing.

Dressing conservatively is always your best option when you are dressing for a funeral service. Even though you aren’t required to wear black (although that is the usual color choice for funeral services) to a funeral, you should dress in darker colors like brown, gray, or navy.

Avoid bright colors and printed fabrics, since they will stand out and draw unnecessary attention to you at the funeral service.

Women should avoid tight-fighting clothing, such as mini-skirts or leggings, and they should also avoid clothing with low-cut necklines or sleeveless dresses. If you do wear a sleeveless dress, cover your arms by wearing a jacket or sweater with it. The best types of clothing for women to wear to funerals includes skirts and blouses, modest dresses, and professional pantsuits.

Women should avoid wearing a lot of accessories to a funeral. A small watch and wedding ring are okay, but you should avoid wearing dangling earrings and a lot of bracelets and necklaces.

Do not wear open-toed shoes or high heels to funerals. Instead, pick out a comfortable pair of flat dress shoes that you can walk easily and noiselessly in.

Unless you are attending a funeral where women wearing hats is customary, you should not wear a hat to a funeral. If hats are acceptable for women to wear, be sure that you wear a small dress hat that fits your head well and that won’t block the view of other mourners.

Men should not wear jeans, t-shirts, shorts, tennis shoes, or sandals to a funeral service. They should also not wear a hat into the service itself. If you do wear a hat, you should remove it as soon as you walk into the funeral home and carry it inside with you. It’s best, however, not to wear a hat at all.

The best attire for men to wear to a funeral service is business casual or business attire. This may include a white dress shirt, black, brown, or gray pants, and a matching sports coat, or a suit and tie. If you do wear a tie, choose one that is isn’t bright or doesn’t have bold designs on it. You should wear comfortable dress shoes as well.

There are, however, are some exceptions to these general guidelines on what you should wear to a funeral service, but the exceptions are very specific.

One exception is if you are attending a military funeral and you are a military member or military veteran. Instead of wearing civilian dress clothing, you may wear your dress uniform to the military service. The same holds for funerals for law enforcement officers and firefighters, where current members of law enforcement or current firefighters may wear their dress uniforms to the funeral service of a fellow officer or firefighter.

The other exception is when the religion or culture of the deceased requires a different type of attire. If you’re unsure what to wear, you should ask a family member what you should wear to their loved one’s funeral.

If you want to know more about the funeral dress at funeral homes in Quincy, FL, our compassionate and experienced staff at Lifesong Funerals & Cremations can help.