‘Prepare and Plan:’ Local event to highlight the importance of funeral planning
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AMMON — Wood Funeral Home will hold a “Prepare and Plan” event on Wednesday, March 5th, at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. The hour-long events will be held at the Brickyard Event Center, 1025 South Ammon Road, in Ammon. Four speakers will present information on funeral planning. The program for both times is the same.
Organizer Amy Dahlke has been a funeral planning advisor at Wood Funeral Home for 12 years. Throughout her career, she has noticed that families unprepared for an unexpected passing tend to spend 40% to 60% more on funeral costs.
“What we see is that when people are emotional, they tend to spend a lot more money,” Dahlke said. “It’s almost like grocery shopping when we’re hungry. We get the food, we come back and wonder why we just got all these extra things. (Funeral decisions) can be a lot like that because emotions play such a huge role in our spending.”
Dahlke said when people plan for their own funerals, making tough decisions can be easier and alleviate pressure and stress that would otherwise fall on their families or loved ones.
“When people plan beforehand, they can decide to get a cheaper casket for themselves, and then no one feels guilty about it,” Dahlke said. “That’s just one of over 100 decisions that need to be made.”
Funeral planning can include considerations of cremation or burial, casket and vault models, funeral programs and locations, headstones, burial clothing, obituary publication and death certificate information.
During the event, estate attorney D. Andrew Rawlings will speak about wills, estates and trusts within the context of funeral planning.
Future “Prepare and Plan” events are expected to be held every three to six months and will feature specialists from the community who will cover topics like Medicare, grief counseling, and veterans’ interests. Dahlke says she wishes more people knew that funeral advising services are offered free of cost.
“A lot of people don’t realize this is a free service to them. If they were to make a private appointment outside of the event, it’s still free. We would come to their homes, or we would also meet them at one of our funeral homes, whatever is most comfortable for them.”
For more information about Wood Funeral Home’s funeral planning services, call (208) 522-2751 or visit the Wood Funeral Home website.
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