Starting a Conversation with Your Family About Your Final Wishes

Very few people enjoy talking about death, especially their own death. But by doing funeral pre-planning and discussing everything from burial methods to funeral homes, you can ensure that your final wishes will be met when you pass away. You should take the time to start a conversation about your final wishes with your family so that you can plan ahead . Here’s how to get the conversation started.

Set aside a specific time to talk about your final wishes.
If you want to make sure your friends and family are prepared to talk about your final wishes, choose a time to do it and let them know ahead of time what you want to talk about. You shouldn’t randomly spring a discussion about burial plots and funeral services on them at the dinner table. Instead, let them know you want to talk about funeral pre-planning and ask them when they are available to speak about it.

Tell your family exactly what you want to happen when you pass away.
When you speak about your death and your final wishes, you should be as open and honest as you can possibly be. If you are against the idea of being buried in a cemetery or you want your ashes spread in a specific spot after you are cremated, this is the time to let your family know about it. They are going to be responsible for seeing your final wishes through, so let them know the details of what you want.

Be open to listening to the ideas your friends and family might have.
While your friends and family will likely be open to all of the ideas you have about your funeral, you need to be reasonable with regards to what they will be able to do. Listen to concerns they have and make adjustments accordingly.

Chapel of the Chimes Oakland specializes in funeral pre-planning in Oakland. Once you have spoken with your family about your final wishes, contact us at (510) 654-0123 for further assistance.