We are a member of the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) and as such, we adhere to a strict code of professional conduct, http://nfda.org/about-nfda-/code-of-professional-conduct.html, that ensures the highest professional standards and quality of service
 to our funeral and cremation families.

In accordance with the NFDA Code of Professional Conduct, we acknowledge and adhere to the obligations of the funeral and cremation profession in five (5) key areas, which follow an Ethical Principle that sets forth the goals and ideals of the profession.

These obligations to all of our funeral and cremation families are:

 I.       To the Family
Ethical Principle: Members have an ethical obligation to serve each family in a professional and caring manner, being respectful of their wishes and confidences, being honest and fair in all dealings with them and being considerate of those of lesser means.

 II.    For the Care of the Decedent
Ethical Principle: Members have an ethical obligation to care for each deceased person with the highest respect and dignity, and to transport, prepare and shelter the remains in a professional, caring and conscientious manner.

 III. To the Public
Ethical Principle: Members have an ethical obligation to offer their services and to operate their businesses in accordance with the highest principles of honesty, fair dealing and professionalism.

 IV. To the Government
Ethical Principle: Members have an ethical obligation to maintain strict compliance with the letter and spirit of all governmental laws and regulations that impact the funeral consumer, the funeral profession, and the public health.

 V.    To NFDA
Ethical Principle: Members have an ethical obligation to promote, participate and support the National Funeral Directors Association in its mission to help all members enhance the quality of funeral service to families.

NFDA Consumer Tips for Arranging a Funeral or Cremation

 At some time in our lives, most of us will make or assist in making funeral or cremation arrangements.
This will not be an easy time, but the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) offers these tips for smart funeral or cremation planning.

1.  Be an informed consumer. Don't be reluctant to ask questions.
 
2.  Today's funeral director offers a variety of options to meet your financial needs and wishes.  Families should discuss all funeral and cremation options with their funeral director when making funeral or cremation arrangements. 

3.  When selecting a funeral director, choose one who is licensed and has a good reputation in the community. Give thought to this decision as you would when choosing a doctor, attorney or other professional. 

4.  Be prepared! Avoid the burden of making decision while under emotional stress by organizing details with your funeral director ahead of time. Remember ... preplanning doesn't necessarily mean prepaying. 

5.  Plan a personal and meaningful funeral or cremation ceremony or service to help you begin the healing process. Getting through grief is never easy but having a meaningful funeral will help.

Funeral & Cremation Preplanning Can Offer Emotional and Financial Security

Thinking about one's funeral or cremation leaves most people feeling a little uneasy, but more adults are finding that preparing for the inevitable is a wise decision. Those preplanning their own funerals or cremations say it offers great emotional and even financial security.

Approximately 98 percent of American funeral homes offer funeral and cremation preplanning options to families in their communities, according to the National Funeral Directors Associations (NFDA). Among the biggest reasons families prearrange funerals and cremations is the peace of mind that comes with knowing a spouse or child will not be left with making important decisions at a stressful time.

Preplanning ensures the family that their loved one's final wishes for funeral or cremation will be met. Many families are comforted knowing the funeral reflects what their loved one wanted. Preplanning may or may not involve prepaying. NFDA recommends prearranging for everyone and suggests discussing with a licensed funeral director the benefits prepayment can offer.

There are generally three basic ways to prepay a funeral or cremation.

1. A regulated trust can be established by a licensed funeral director.
2. A life-insurance policy can be purchased, equal to the value of the funeral.
3. Individuals can establish a savings or certificate of deposit account earmarked for funeral expenses. The account can be designated as "payable on death" (POD) to the funeral home.

 As with any contract, it's wise to read the prepayment agreement carefully to be sure you understand all the provisions. You may want to ask:

• Who receives the interest on the account, and who must pay taxes on the interest?
• Is the prepayment ever refundable, in part or in full?
• Can the plan be used at a funeral home of my choice?
• What happens if the funeral home goes out of business or is sold?
• In the event the purchaser of the plan moves, is the prefunded plan transferable?

 Once you've made your funeral or cremation prearrangements, keep a copy of your plan and any pertinent paperwork in a safe place and inform a close friend or relative what arrangements you’ve made and where the information may be found.

 One of our funeral directors can walk you through the prearrangement process. NFDA recommends prearranging for everyone and developed the Bill of Rights for funeral consumers,
 http://nfda.org/planning-a-funeral/preplanning/30, as a resource for understanding
what to expect from a preneed contract.

Discussing Death with a Child

Q: Should children attend funerals?

A: Yes. Attending the funeral allows the child to be a part of the family at a time when they need love and attention the most. If the child is leery of the funeral, perhaps you can arrange a private moment before or after the service for the child to say goodbye. Or ask your funeral director if their facility has a playroom where that child could stay until the service is complete. The important thing is that the child is with friends and family and not isolated from the situation.

 Q: How can I help a grieving child?

A: Here are five simple ways to help a grieving child:

• Be there for the child. Listen when they need to talk, and hug them when they need comfort.
• Share fond memories about the loved one with the child, and encourage them to share their own memories.
• Encourage the child to draw a picture or write a letter to their loved one. These items could be placed in the casket or displayed during the cremation.
• Frame a picture of the loved one for the child or give the child another memento to remember their loved one by. (i.e. coins that were in their pocket, a favorite pin, etc.)

• Involve the child in the funeral. Let them read a poem or letter they have written, sing or play a song during the service, or even just attend the funeral with family and friends.

 Q: How can we protect children from the loss?

A: It is impossible to protect children from the pain of losing someone they loved. Trying to hide the death from them will only delay their inevitable realization that the person is no longer a part of the child’s life. It is better to include children in the mourning experience and teach them a healthy way to deal with their feelings.

Frequently Asked Questions About Funeral Service

 Q: What is the purpose of a funeral?

A: Funerals fill an important role for those mourning the loss of a loved one. By providing surviving family members and friends a caring, supportive environment in which to share thoughts and feelings about the death, funerals are the first step in the healing process.

The ritual of attending a funeral or cremation service provides many benefits including:

• Providing a social support system for the bereaved.
• Helping the bereaved understand death is final and that death is part of life.
• Integrating the bereaved back into the community.
• Easing the transition to a new life after the death of a loved one.
• Providing a safe haven for embracing and expressing pain.
• Reaffirming one’s relationship with the person who died.
• Providing a time to say good-bye.

It is possible to have a full funeral service even for those choosing cremation. The importance of the ritual is in providing a social gathering to help the bereaved begin the healing process.

Q: I've never arranged a funeral or cremation before. What do I need to know?

A: At some time in our lives, most of us will make or assist in making funeral or cremation arrangements. This will not be an easy time, but the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) offers these tips for smart planning.

1. Be an informed consumer. Don't be reluctant to ask questions.
2. Today's funeral director offers a variety of options to meet your financial needs and wishes. Families should discuss all options with their funeral director when making arrangements.
3. When selecting a funeral director, choose one who is licensed and has a good reputation in the community. Give thought to this decision as you would when choosing a doctor, attorney or other professional.
4. Be prepared! Avoid the burden of making decision while under emotional stress by organizing details with your funeral director ahead of time. Remember ... preplanning doesn't necessarily mean prepaying.
5. Plan a personal and meaningful ceremony or service to help you begin the healing process. Getting through grief is never easy but having a meaningful funeral will help.
6. Contact a licensed funeral director or NFDA for more information on making meaningful arrangements.   

Q: Is it possible to plan a funeral or cremation in advance?

A: We recommend that everyone preplan his or her own funeral or cremation. Doing so can offer emotional and financial security for both you and your family. By preplanning a funeral you will get the kind of service you want and your family will be unburdened from making decisions at a stressful time. Preplanning doesn’t necessarily mean prepaying. If you are considering preplanning your funeral, please visit the Preneed section of this website or contact us for more information.

Q: Can I still have a funeral service if I choose cremation?

A: Yes. Cremation opens the doors to a number of different funeral options. From traditional services to contemporary celebrations, cremation gives you the flexibility to personalize the services for yourself or a loved one. To learn more about cremation, please visit the Cremation section of this website or contact us for more information.

Thinking About Cremation?

As more people are choosing cremation, funeral service professionals are striving to give consumers a true sense of what their many options are for a funeral service. Often funeral directors find that people have a preconception that they have fewer choices for a ceremony when selecting cremation for themselves or a loved one. Therefore, they request direct cremation and deny the surviving friends and family an opportunity to honor them with a memorial service. In actuality, cremation is only part of the commemorative experience. In fact, cremation can actually increase your options when planning a funeral. The following information is meant to help you build an understanding of what cremation is, allowing you to make an informed decision when arranging a funeral for yourself or a loved one.

Cremation is becoming increasingly popular, especially amongst the baby boomer generation. Among the many reasons for this growing trend is the breadth of options cremation provides for a final memorial service.

Cremation gives people the flexibility to search for types of tributes that reflect the life being honored. But this doesn’t mean that aspects of traditional funeral services have to be discarded. Even with cremation, a meaningful memorial that is personalized to reflect the life of the deceased could include:

• A visitation prior to the service;
• An open or closed casket;
• Special music;
• A ceremony at the funeral chapel, your place of worship or other special location; and
• Participation by friends and family.

Commonly, cremated remains are placed in an urn and committed to an indoor or outdoor mausoleum or columbarium; interred in a family burial plot; or included in a special urn garden. Cremation also gives families the option to scatter the remains. This can be done in a designated cemetery garden or at a place that was special to the person. Today, cremated remains can even become part of an ocean reef or made into diamonds.

Whatever you choose, cremation or burial, traditional services or contemporary celebrations, your NFDA funeral director is here to help you.

Consumer Bill of Rights for Funeral Preplanning

Preplanning a funeral can offer family members peace of mind, as well as the opportunity to plan a meaningful funeral that reflects the unique life of the individual. Meeting with a local NFDA funeral director is a good way to ensure you have all of the information you need to make informed decisions, and that your wishes are carried out.

Before making any decisions on preplanning or prefunding funeral goods or services, or signing a preneed funeral contract, we urge you to ask any and all questions you may have regarding the planning process.

An ethical and reputable NFDA funeral home will ensure the following rights and protections:

• Provide you with detailed price lists of goods and services before you make your selections.
• Provide to you, at the conclusion of the funeral arrangement conference, a written statement listing all of the goods and services you have purchased and the price.
• Give you a written preneed funeral contract explaining, in plain language, your rights and obligations.
• Guarantee in the contract that if any of the goods or services you have selected are not available at the time of need, goods and services of equal or greater value will be substituted at no extra cost.
• Explain in the contract the geographical boundaries of the funeral home’s service area and under what circumstances you can transfer the preneed contract to another funeral home if you were to relocate, or if the death were to occur outside of the service area.
• State in the contract where and how much of the funds you pay will be deposited until the funeral is provided.
• Explain in the contract who will be responsible for paying taxes on any income or interest generated by the preneed funds that are invested.
• Inform you in the contract whether, and to what extent, the funeral home will guarantee the price of goods and services you are purchasing. If the prices are not guaranteed, the contract will explain who is responsible for any additional amounts that may be due at the time of the funeral.
• Explain in the contract whether and under what circumstances you may cancel your preneed contract and how much of the funds you paid will be refunded.

Copyright © 2006 National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) www.nfda.org

Local Twin Falls, Idaho Florists

http://www.rosebudsflorist.com/

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