1. What purpose does a funeral serve?
It is the customary way to recognize death and its finality. Funerals
are recognized rituals for the living to show respect for the dead and
to help survivors begin the grief process.
2. What do funeral directors do?
Funeral directors are caregivers and administrators. They make the arrangements
for transportation of the body, complete all necessary paperwork, and
implement the choices made by the family regarding the funeral and final
disposition of the body. Funeral directors are listeners, advisors and
supporters. They have experience assisting the bereaved in coping with
death. Funeral directors are trained to answer questions about grief,
recognize when a person is having difficulty coping, and recommend sources
of professional help. Funeral directors also link survivors with support
groups in the community.
3. Do you have to have a funeral director to bury the dead?
No law in North Dakota prevents family members from burying their own
dead as long as filing requirements are met. However, most people find
it very trying to be solely responsible for arranging the details and
legal matters surrounding a death.
4. Why have a public viewing?
Viewing is part of many cultural and ethnic traditions. Many grief specialists
believe that viewing aids the grief process by helping the bereaved
recognize the reality of death. Viewing is encouraged for children,
as long as the process is explained and the activity voluntary.
5. What is the purpose of embalming?
Embalming sanitizes and preserves the body, retards the decomposition
process, and enhances the appearance of a body disfigured by traumatic
death or illness. Embalming makes it possible to lengthen the time between
death and the final disposition, thus allowing family members time to
arrange and participate in the type of service most comforting to them.
6. Does a dead body have to be embalmed, according to law?
No. North Dakota, however, requires embalming when remains are to be
transported from one state to another by common carrier or if final
disposition is not to be made within 48 hours.
7. Isn't burial space becoming scarce?
While it
is true some metropolitan areas have limited available cemetery space,
in most areas of the country there is enough space set aside for the
next 50 years without creating new cemeteries. In addition, land available
for new cemeteries is more than adequate, especially with the increase
in entombment and multilevel grave burial.
8. Is it possible to have a traditional funeral if someone dies of AIDS?
Yes, A person who dies of an AIDS-related illness is entitled to the
same service options afforded to anyone else. If public viewing is consistent
with local or personal customs, that option is encouraged. Touching
the deceased's face or hands is perfectly safe.
Because the grief experienced by survivors may include a variety of
feelings, survivors may need even more support than survivors of non-AIDS-related
deaths.
9.
How much does a funeral cost?
In 1998 the charge for an adult, full-service funeral, was $5,020; This
includes a professional service charge, transfer of remains, embalming,
other preparation, use of viewing facilities, use of facilities for
ceremony, hearse, limousine, and casket. The casket included in this
price is an 18-gauge steel casket with velvet interior that may or may
not be the most common casket chosen. Vault, cemetery and monument charges
are additional.
(Source: 1999 NFDA Survey of Funeral Home Operations.)
10.
Do funeral directors take advantage of the bereaved?
Funeral directors are caring individuals who help people deal with a
very stressful time. They serve the same families 80% of the time, and
many have spent most of their lives in the same community. If they took
advantage of bereaved families, they could not stay in business. The
fact that the average funeral home has been in business over 59 years
shows that most funeral directors respect the wishes of the bereaved
families.
11.
Is cremation a substitute for a funeral?
No, cremation is an alternative to earth burial or entombment for the
body's final disposition and often follows a traditional funeral service.
In fact, according to FTC figures for 1987, direct cremation occurred
in only 3% of deaths.
12.
Why are funerals so expensive?
When compared to other major life cycle events, like births and weddings,
funerals are not expensive. A wedding costs at least three times as
much; but because it is a happy event, wedding costs are rarely criticized.
A funeral home is a 24-hour, labor-intensive business, with extensive
facilities (viewing rooms, chapels, limousines, hearses, etc.), these
expenses must be factored into the cost of a funeral. Moreover, the
cost of a funeral includes not only merchandise, like caskets, but the
services of a funeral director in making arrangements; filing appropriate
forms; dealing with doctors, ministers, florists, newspapers and others;
and seeing to all the necessary details. Contrary to popular belief,
funeral homes are largely family-owned with a modest profit margin.
The statistics below may be helpful in assessing the true economic picture
of a funeral home:
| Family-owned | 84.6% |
| Firm in business for | 59 years |
| Average calls/year | 160 |
| BEFORE tax profit | 12.5% |
| (Source:
1991 NFDA Survey of Funeral Home Operations) |
|
13. What recourse does a consumer have for poor service or overcharging?
Funeral service is regulated by the FTC. In most cases, the consumer
should discuss problems with the funeral director first. The consumer
may wish to contact the Funeral Service Consumer Assistance Program.
FSCAP provides information, mediates disputes, provides arbitration,
and maintains a consumer guarantee fund for reimbursement of services
rendered. (To contact FSCAP, call 708-827-6337 or 800-662-7666)
14. Is it right to make a profit from death?
Funeral directors look upon their profession as a service, but it is
also a business. Like any business, funeral homes must make a profit
to exist. As long as the profit is reasonable and the services rendered
are necessary, complete, and satisfactory to the family, profit is legitimate.
15. Don't funeral directors mark caskets up tremendously, at least 400%?
No. Talking about the mark up on caskets is really not the point. Most
items--clothing, furniture, jewelry--are marked up as much or more than
caskets. The real question is whether the funeral director is making
an excessive profit, and that answer is "No." Profits run around 12.5%
before taxes -- not excessive by any standard.
16. Who pays for funerals for the indigent?
Other than the family, there are veteran, union, and other organizational
benefits to pay for funerals, including, in certain instances, a lump
sum death payment from Social Security. In North Dakota, individual
counties have burial assistance for indigent people. Most funeral directors
are aware of the various benefits and know how to obtain them for the
indigent. However, funeral directors often absorb costs above and beyond
what is allowed by the county.