The Benefits of Preplanning Cremation and a Living Will
That is why adults of any age should seriously consider preplanning their funeral arrangements and creating a living will. Taking action now will give you and your family members peace of mind later.
The Benefits of Preplanning Cremation
Planning your final arrangements offers you and your family many benefits, including:
● Emotional Security for Your Family
The family you leave behind will be comforted knowing that they’re doing exactly what you wanted. In addition, they won’t have the extra burden of planning, arranging, and paying for your final needs.
● Peace of Mind For Yourself
You’ll have time to research your options and make good decisions without feeling hurried or desperate. While the topic of planning your final arrangements may seem uncomfortable at the moment, having these affairs in order will give you peace of mind and even a sense of accomplishment.
● Financial Security
When you plan, you have the time to understand the costs involved, compare different service providers, and start saving or prepaying to cover these costs, depending on your preference. And when you plan, your family will have fewer last-minute expenses to take care of at that time.
Preplanning Cremation Can Help You Secure Your Future
When you create preplanned arrangements with National Cremation, you are offered a chance to lock in the cost of cremation. Cremation costs are expected to rise in the future due to economic inflation and demand.
Preplanning your final arrangements can provide relief knowing that your final wishes will be honored and that your family members will not inherit the burden of planning and paying for services once it is too late.
Consider a Living Will
While you’re thinking about your final wishes, consider what may happen if they weren’t made known to your family. Creating a living will allow you to protect your wishes and alleviate familial stress should you pass suddenly or become incapacitated and unable to speak.
The definition of a living will is a legal document that details your wishes for medical care such as pain management, whom your possessions and property go to, and your funeral arrangements. For more information on how to write a will, click here.
What is The Difference Between a Living Trust vs. a Will?
Similar to a will, a living trust is used to name beneficiaries who will receive your property. However, the features of a living will are more complicated than a conventional will.
Living trusts have the following characteristics that differentiate them from wills:
- Help to avoid probate*
- Keeping privacy after death
- Requires notarization
- Requires transfer of property
- Protection from court challenges
- Avoidance of conservatorship
However, living trusts cannot name guardians for children of the deceased. Many who have living trusts also have wills, as a living trust is not necessarily a replacement for a will.
*Probate is a standard legal process that validates a deceased person’s will to ensure that their final wishes are carried out by the executor.
What is The Difference Between an Advance Directive vs. a Living Will?
An advance directive is a set of instructions on future medical care for someone who has become incapacitated and can no longer effectively communicate. A living will is just one type of advance directive which takes effect once the patient has been diagnosed with a terminal illness.
A living will provides the following benefits:
● A Living Will Provides Communication For When You Can’t Speak
Unless you have a living will that dictates what you want to be done in the event of a tragedy, your doctors will have a considerable say in what happens to you while you’re in an uncommunicable state, for example, if someone is experiencing the late stages of dementia.
● A Living Will Prevents Familial Disputes
When medical professionals are not in charge, your family will be required to make decisions on your behalf. Unless, of course, they have some way of knowing what it is you would have wanted.
These disagreements are often emotionally charged, and grudges can last lifetimes. A living will alleviate the pressure to make the “right” decision for you because what happens will ultimately be your choice.
● A Living Will Can Facilitate Decisions For Medical Treatments and Procedures
When you are ill to the point where you cannot communicate, your doctors will generally step in and decide for you and your family. A living will is a written order that directs doctors to fulfill your final wishes if you are incapacitated due to terminal illness, taking the decision out of their hands.
● A Living Will Can Help You Avoid Costly End-of-Life Medical Bills
If you experience a tragedy and go into a coma or vegetative state, your living will can outline what happens to you. Many people would rather not live on life support while their family inherits medical bills they are unable to pay.
If you do not specify that death, in this instance, would be your wish, your family may be left with insurmountable medical bills.
● A Living Will Can Give You Emotional and Financial Peace of Mind
No one ever expects tragedy to touch their lives, yet too often, it does. A living will is designed to give you a say in what should happen if you fall victim to a tragedy.
This situation could spark conflict amongst your family members and doctors if there is no written proof that provides guidance on the type of healthcare decisions you A living will also prevents conflict amongst the family members themselves.
We Can Help You Protect Your Future
End-of-life planning is an essential task when planning for the future, not just for yourself but for your loved ones as well.
Creating a living will and preplanning your final arrangements can help ensure that in the case of a tragedy, you and your family will be prepared and given pre-determined guidance during a confusing and emotional time.
National Cremation is the nation’s oldest and largest provider of simple and affordable cremation services. Whether you have an immediate need or want to plan your cremation services in advance, we’re always available to assist you and your family. Contact us online or call (855)-469-9474 today.
