Hiring The Right Funeral Director

Posted on: 30 August 2017

Many people prefer the option of cremation over burial, but it is often especially appealing to seniors. Cremation provides more flexibility when it comes to dealing with your body and the service that follows your death. If you choose a traditional burial, you are on a tighter schedule. When you're cremated, you can have a memorial months later if necessary. Here's a look at why cremation could be an option you want to consider when you are in your senior years.

Cremation Is More Affordable

Cremation could cost several thousand dollars less than a traditional funeral or burial. This saves your spouse or your kids from a big expense. If you're buying a prepaid funeral package now, you'll be able to save a lot of money if you choose basic cremation and private memorial over having a full funeral with a burial. If paying for your final expenses is a worry for you, then choosing cremation can put your mind at ease.

Transporting Your Body Is Easier

If you plan to spend your retirement years traveling or spending the winter months someplace warm such as Florida or Arizona, then you have to think about how you'll handle sending your body back home. Flying your body back home for a funeral adds quite a bit of extra cost to your funeral. When you're cremated, it is much easier to take your ashes back home for a memorial service. A family member can transport you by airplane or private car as long as they have the required paperwork from the crematorium. This cuts down on expenses and makes transporting your remains much easier on everyone.

Cremation Services Are More Flexible

One advantage of being cremated is that you can have your memorial service at any time you choose. If you have retired siblings that also travel during the winter months, or children who work overseas, it may be more convenient to wait a few months until everyone can come together for a memorial service and scattering or burial of your ashes. You can have a service at a funeral home followed by placement of your ashes at a cemetery if you choose. You could also have a private ceremony at a place important to your family where your ashes will be scattered. You can tailor your services to your unique situation so you don't have to pay for a funeral home, minister, casket, and vault, if you don't want or need them.

Cremation offers many advantages over the traditional embalming and burial process. It can make your transition less stressful for your family, especially if you make your arrangements in advance. Resources like those from the American Cremation Society can help you learn more.