SeniorCare Homes is excited to share information from local partner businesses  who share our commitment for excellent service. Porter Funeral Homes and the Kansas City Cremation Society are owned by Rick and Ryan Wiseman who both live locally in the Kansas City area. I have been able to work with several of our families and friends in need of funeral services over the years. Porter has always stepped up and offered fair pricing and incredible service. As a result, I have asked Porter to share some tips on pre-planning and their community liaison, Jeannette Ford agreed to develop some useful tips.

I hope this is helpful.

Sincerely,

Jerry

1. Planning ahead will help you avoid costly impulse buying and added stress at an already difficult time. Doing as much as possible in advance of an impending death will allow you to focus on family and your own grieving once a death has occurred. This would include things like: • Gathering important papers that may be needed: Durable Power of Attorney, birth certificate, Military Discharge Papers (DD214), Social Security Number, Pre Purchased Cemetery Information, Pre Paid Funeral Plan paperwork etc.

• Begin putting together an obituary, leaving blanks to fill in at a later date • Collect photographs and memorabilia that you may want to display at a service or the photo that you will want to publish with the obituary in the newspaper

• Find out the location of existing bank accounts, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, titles to property, Last Will and Testament, Insurance Policies etc. and make a note of where to find them. This will help you determine how many Death Certificates to order

• Start a list of important people who need to be notified when your loved one passes away, and their contact information.

2. Talk to the other family members who will be assisting you with the final arrangements. If possible assign tasks to help even the load (Put someone in charge of flowers, Music, submitting the obituary etc.)

3. Start a notebook and jot down names of those you want to remember with a thank you note (someone who sent flowers, dropped off a casserole, offered to run an errand etc.) When dealing with difficult situations it is very normal to have trouble focusing or remembering things. Keeping a notebook that “-remembers for you” will decrease your stress. You can also add a section for things you want to ask the Funeral Director when you meet or other details you want to make sure and remember.

4. Even if you do not have a pre-planned arrangement with a Funeral Provider, choosing the provider you wish to use in advance can be very helpful. Deaths can happen very unexpectedly at times, and you do not want to be doing an internet search or scanning the phone book at 1 am when a decision is needed quickly. Try to get agreement in advance from those who will be involved in making that decision. Most other things can wait. Having the provider selected will ease some of the anxiety and anticipation of that moment and again, will allow you to focus on more important things -like just being with family. In advance, you have time to compare pricing and services. Much of this information is on line but you can also call or visit a provider that you are interested in. Remember that Funeral providers are required to provide you an itemized General Price list if you ask for one. This may be helpful to you in making those decisions.

5. You may have many friends and family calling asking “what can I do?”. Keep a list handy and allow others to help. By allowing them to run an errand or take something off your list, it not only helps you, but it helps them as well. We all feel helpless when our friends are hurting, and want to do something. Allowing others to help assists them as they grieve as well.

The Cremation Society of Kansas & Missouri 8837 Roe Avenue Prairie Village, KS 66207 Phone: 913-383-9888