Pre-Planning Final Wishes

People routinely plan the most important events in their lives – weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, golf tournaments and vacations. However, most fail to plan for an occasion that each and every one of us will one day face – our own demise! Admittedly, it may be more fun to reserve flights and book hotel rooms than to sit down with a pre-planning specialist to discuss cremation and headstones. But most people feel more comfortable after making end-of-life plans. Doing so will unburden your family (when the time comes) as well as free you up to enjoy the life you are living while you’re still around.

To help demystify the process, we sat down with Foothill Funeral & Cremation’s Pre-Need Specialist, Andrea Batista.

Question: Please tell us a little about yourself, Andrea.

Answer: I have been working as a funeral director since 2010. I love my job because I enjoy meeting people and learning about them. Helping them brings me joy. I love figuring out how family and friends should remember them and celebrate their life. At heart, I’m an event planner. 

Question: What exactly do you do?

Answer: I sit down and help people with answering important question about funeral pre-arranging and end of life expenses. It’s a difficult subject to talk about with family and most people don’t know where to start, so they avoid it all together. Sitting with people, getting to know them, I help establish how family and friends should remember them. I also make sure they walk away feeling confident and clear about why they need a plan.

I know, for my own family, my father died. My sister and I disagreed about what type of casket to bury him in.  He was a dedicated USC fan and a football season ticket holder for many years, so I wanted to order him a casket that represented the school colors cardinal and gold. But since he had been in the Navy, my sister wanted to order a military casket. In the end, we compromised. We buried him in his Navy-blue military suit featuring USC colors. Lucky for us, he pre-planned. But he wanted his children to choose the casket. Imagine all of the in-fighting that could occur among family members when grief is strong, and emotions are running high? 

Questions: Why should someone care what happens to them after they die?

Answer: People should care because they are leaving behind loved ones that may need closure. Planning a service or celebration of life allows family and friends to share stories and heal with the support of others. 

People should care because they don’t want to leave a financial burden to family or friends. Someone will face the responsibility of arranging for your funeral. And will that funeral reflect your wishes? You definitely don’t want to be caught dead in an outfit that doesn’t represent you or have make-up applied that looks like a throwback to the 70’s.

If you don’t make a decision about things like that, someone else is going to have to make it for you. And they’ll be making those choices at a time that will likely be very difficult for them. Consider not your final outfit and whether your family buries or cremates you. Also, think about the music loved ones will play in your memory. Other considerations include poems, and much, much more. Your family and friends want to honor your wishes. Your funeral or life celebration serves as their last goodbye. Pre-planning guarantees loved ones honor your wishes. And that can comfort them. 

Questions: What types of things do you help people plan?

Answer: We plan Traditional Services, Cremations, Green Burials, Military Services, and Scattering Ceremonies. Above all, the Foothill Funeral and Cremation staff thinks outside of the box. Traditional services remain just one option, far from the only one. We organize tail-gate parties for  football fanatics and intimate celebrations-of-life for people with more simple tastes. We cater to each person’s tastes, preference and budget. Plans include everything from flowers to facility rentals, catering, musicians, caskets to urns, and releases of doves, balloons, or butterflies.

Question: How much do pre-plans cost? And how do people pay?

Answer: Pre-Plans cost anywhere from $995 to $6,000 and up, depending on which services someone chooses to order. I am a licensed pre-arranger, qualified to write pre-planning policies. People can pay all at once, or arrange multi-payments through a one-, three-, five-, seven- or 10- year plans. Keep your funds protected from Medicaid assessments. The law protects your loved ones, disallowing withdrawals and/or changes to irrevocable contracts. The states designates these funds strictly for funeral expenses.

Question: Do pre-plans include burial plots?

Answer: Our firm works with all cemeteries. Some people mistakenly believe they must use the cemetery where they have property for their funeral services. Not so! We offer more affordable options than most others  in our region. What’s more, we work hard to take care of everything from the beginning to end. We lay clients to rest wherever their property is located. When families look for burial plots, we recommend a broker. These fees typically run much lower than purchasing burial plots directly from a cemetery.  

Question: Who should complete a Pre-Plan?

Answer: EVERYONE should pre-plan! We aren’t promised another day so advance funeral planning is key. It’s important for people to ask themselves do my loved ones know what type of service I want, what funeral home I would want them to use, do they know how I want my remains to be handled, what type of casket, what type of urn, Are my loved ones prepared to pay for my funeral. Pre-planning is the best gift to leave your family it alleviates the financial and emotional burden. It’s hard enough to be dealing with a loss of a loved one much less having to make decisions under pressure and feeling overwhelmed.

I have seen families spend so much money out of guilt or just pure pressure from others. I wish more people would just call me because knowledge is power and having the information necessary protects them. My favorite thing is I am not a sales person I am a funeral director turn pre-arranger that wants to help others and save them from the worry and burden with no obligation. But none of us knows when we will draw our final breath. But pre-planning will help you breathe easier!

About Foothill Funeral & Cremation in Glendora, California

If you are interested in pre-planning, we would love to offer help. We would also value the opportunity to celebrate your loved one’s life. Feel free to contact us now to pre-plan your own memorial or at your time of need (626) 335-0615. Also, we specialize in helping with burial arrangements. Foothill Funeral proudly serves the San Gabriel Valley, San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles Basin, Orange County and the Inland Empire. Finally, working in the mortuary industry since 1996, our reputation is one of quality, sincerity and trust. Please allow us to help you at your time of need or in the future. Call today (626) 335-0615 or contact us via email.