When you lose a loved one it can be incredibly overwhelming. During these challenging times, the support and guidance of a compassionate funeral director can be invaluable. At L.E Brand & Sons, we understand the importance of providing not just practical services, but genuine care to families and friends as you navigate this difficult time. We have a dedicated team of professionals on hand 24 hours a day to look after your needs and care for you and your loved ones. We provide compassionate knowledge and support from the very first phone call, supporting you every step of the way. From helping with the registration process and arranging the service with the crematorium to booking the minister and dealing with all the necessary paperwork – we’re here.
If you’re not sure how a funeral director can help you, or if you need compassionate support during this difficult time, you need to look no further. In this blog post, we will explore the 10 Ways Your Funeral Director Can Help You to commemorate, remember and say goodbye to your loved one.
If you need advice or guidance about planning a funeral, please don’t hesitate to contact us today.
Firstly, what do you need to do when someone passes away?
Before we look at the ways your funeral director can help you, what do you need to do when someone passes away? When someone you know passes away, it can be difficult to know what the next steps to take are. As an independent funeral director, we have years of experience in assisting families in the next stages. Here are the immediate steps to take when someone passes away.
When A Death Occurs In a Hospital
When a death occurs in a hospital, the first step would be to contact the hospital’s bereavement team. A “Medical Certificate Of Death“ can then be issued and an appointment can be made to register the passing. Once registration has taken place, your selected Funeral Director can now arrange for your loved one to be conveyed from the hospital into their private chapels of rest.
When A Death Occurs at Home
- Out-of-Hours Duty Doctor
If the death occurs outside of surgery hours a Duty Doctor will attend the home and issue a “certificate of attendance”. The out-of-hours Duty Doctor will then inform you that your Funeral Director can be contacted. Once the deceased’s surgery is open you can take the certificate of attendance and the G.P. will issue you with the “Medical Certificate Of Death”.
- G.P Attendance
If the death occurs during surgery hours, the deceased’s G.P. will attend the home to certify the passing and issue a “Medical Certificate Of Death”. With this certificate, you are now able to contact the local registrar to register the passing. The Doctor will then inform you that your Funeral Director can be contacted.
When A Death Occurs In A Care Home
When a death occurs in a nursing or residential home, the on-duty staff will contact a Doctor on your behalf. Unless already arranged with the home, the staff will ask who your selected Funeral Director is. If you would like us at L.E Brand & Sons to take care of the funeral arrangements the nursing staff will contact us at the appropriate moment and two dedicated staff members will attend the home to convey your loved one into our care.
When A Death Is Sudden Or Unexpected
If the death was unexpected, the first step is to call paramedics and the police. In this instance, the police may wish for the coroner to investigate the passing. The police will arrange for the deceased to be conveyed to a local hospital where a post-mortem may be required.
Once the coroner’s office has finalised their investigations and a cause of death has been ascertained they will contact the next of kin to instruct that the registration can now take place. The Coroner’s office will also ask which Funeral Director will undertake the funeral arrangements.
When To Contact Your Funeral Director
Whether it was expected or not, the loss of a loved one can be a very distressing time. If the passing was either at home or a care home the doctor will inform you when to contact us. At L.E Brand & Sons, we have years of experience in assisting families in the next stages when someone passes away. Read on for more information about how we can help you.
10 Ways Your Funeral Director Can Help You
Appointing a compassionate funeral director can be essential in planning a funeral. If you decide to use a funeral director, they can provide valuable guidance and support during this difficult time and can help you with funeral arrangements. Here are 10 ways your funeral director can help you…
- Understanding Grief
Established in 1880 as family-fun funeral directors, we at L.E. Brand & Sons, make sure that every single client receives a caring service from our experienced and compassionate team. Losing someone you love can be a confusing and challenging time. Funeral directors such as us can be by your side to help you understand the logistics and also lend a compassionate ear when needed. We are committed to your every need and will strive to provide the best advice and personal service, with your peace of mind at every step.
- Pre-Planning Services
Some people never get around to discussing funeral wishes with their loved ones, which can lead to all sorts of worry and anxiety when the time comes. Funeral directors can help you as you take some time now to plan your funeral. With a pre-planned funeral, you can provide your loved ones with financial and practical help, as well as peace of mind, by having your funeral arrangements in place. Funeral directors can discuss various options with you, helping you to create a cohesive plan for your funeral arrangements. Speak to us today about arranging your Funeral Plan.
- Financial Guidance
It is always a difficult time when someone passes away and understanding the financial implications of a loved one’s passing can be challenging. Appointing a funeral director such as L.E. Brand & Sons eases the burden of understanding funeral costs. We can advise on what to do if the deceased’s Will details any funeral instructions and if the deceased had life insurance or a prepaid funeral plan to assist with covering the funeral costs. Funeral expenses need not make a sad and challenging time even more stressful; a funeral director can provide financial guidance.
- Cremation or Burial Choices
A funeral director can guide families and loved ones through the decision-making process regarding cremation or burial. At L.E. Brand & Sons, we recognise the cultural, religious and environmental implications and features of both options and can help you to decide which is right for your family. We will take the time to understand your preferences and will help you to make a decision that best reflects the wishes of the departed and your family’s values. Both cremations and burials have a process that will need to be followed and a funeral director can help with this too.
- Choosing the Coffin
The type of coffin you choose will depend upon the committal of your loved one. As the requirements for cremation differ from those for burial, we can provide help and guidance as you choose between cremation and burial coffins and caskets. There are a variety of coffins and caskets available to suit all manner of ages and sizes. Whether your loved one has pre-planned their funeral and selected their coffin, or you are deciding for them, we can help you make a decision that’s right for you, your family and the departed.
- Memorial Services
Choosing the type of service you’d like for your loved one’s funeral is a highly personal decision. Whether religious or non-religious, it’s good practice to reflect the beliefs and values of the departed. As with the cremation or burial choices, a funeral director can assist in creating a meaningful memorial service that celebrates the life of your loved one. We can help you with musical selections and hymns, the procession, transportation, the eulogy, or even a themed ceremony that honours your loved one.
- Legal Requirements
With so much to think about and consider when someone passes away, the last thing you want to do is navigate the legalities and paperwork associated with the passing. A funeral director will handle all aspects of administration and will thoroughly explain everything to you. This ensures that everything is legal and compliant and that you are comfortable with the process as it moves forward. From helping with the registration process to dealing with all the necessary paperwork – we’re here to relieve you of any burden.
- Transportation & Logistics
Organising the transportation and logistics for a funeral can be left entirely to your funeral director. We can arrange all details for your loved one’s funeral including helping you decide which vehicle type to use to transport the departed and family members to the service. We can also assist with arranging the service, booking the minister and more. A funeral director such as L.E. Brand & Sons will handle everything with the utmost care and professionalism which allows you to focus on commemorating your loved one.
- Special Requests
Your funeral director can help you plan special moments to commemorate your lost loved one. From releasing a dove and arranging a condolence book to creating a themed funeral that would make the departed proud, your funeral director can help bring individuality to proceedings. We understand the importance of personalising funeral services and are compassionate to the wishes of all families whom we provide funeral services for. If you have special requests, please don’t hesitate to speak to us today for more information.
- Post-Funeral Assistance
Outside of organising funeral services and their details, a professional funeral director can provide valuable support and resources in the aftermath of the funeral. We can provide guidance on practical matters such as obtaining death certificates and accessing ongoing grief support. Our services don’t end when the funeral service does, we are here for you with compassionate help and resources in the difficult days that follow. We have a dedicated team of professionals on hand 24 hours a day to look after your needs and care for you and your loved ones.
Funeral Planning Checklist
Planning a funeral is never easy, so we’ve put together this funeral planning checklist to help you with the arrangements. Here are the steps to take when someone passes away:
- Register the death within 5 days to obtain the death certificate.
- Check to see if the deceased has left any funeral instructions in their Will (or elsewhere).
- Check if they had life insurance or a prepaid funeral plan.
- If using one, hire a funeral director.
- Decide on the type of funeral – cremation or burial.
- Choose the type of coffin.
- Decide on the type of funeral service (e.g. religious or non-religious).
- Choose the venue (e.g. chapel, burial site etc).
- Arrange the transportation.
- Choose the flower arrangements (or select a charity for donations.
- Plan the service details in full (including dress code, music, readings, eulogy etc).
- Create the order of service.
- If having a wake, book the venue and catering.
- Send out invitations.
At a glance, these are the basic steps to follow when planning a funeral for your loved one. If you’d prefer to speak to our compassionate team, get in touch with us today for more information.
Taking Care of You Every Step of the Way
If you require our services you can contact us on 01375 672142 or use our contact form. You are also welcome to visit our branch where a compassionate team member will be available to offer advice. Our opening times are Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm and Saturday 9am to 1pm. A dedicated team is always available 24 hours a day 7 days a week and can be contacted outside of office hours.
