The Role of the Funeral Director "To provide a funeral service in accordance with family wishes, while providing the support to enable them to grieve in a natural and healthy way." What does a Funeral Director do? Support and guidance are key roles the funeral director performs. We help to tailor a funeral service that is meaningful and memorable to the client families we serve. We will discus all options, including costs, and allow a family to make informed decisions. Sequence of Events - What you can expect to happen. Embalming and Preparation - What's involved? Legal requirements - What we need to know and why. Benefits of the Funeral Director’s Service - Why use a Funeral Director? Family Involvement - What families can do to personalize a Funeral Service. Sequence of Events: First call A family member, friend or member of the Nursing Staff will contact us to request our services. We will need to obtain the following information from the caller: The name of the person who has passed away, Where the person has passed away, The Doctor's name, and whether he/she has been Whether the person is going to be buried or cremated. (This may seem a bit premature, but we need to know this to assist the doctor. If a person is to be cremated there are a number of other legal requirements that we must adhere to, and the sooner we know either way the easier things will be for everyone involved.) When the family would like us to transfer their loved one. Usually where the person has passed away will dictate this. The normal procedure is for us to transfer once family and friends have spent some time with the deceased. There may also be a delay with obtaining the necessary paper work and permission from doctors. If there are going to be delays, we can advise and support families through these procedures. Although there is normally no hurry to physically transfer someone from the place of death, the sooner we are aware of our involvement, the easier things will be for the family. This is because we can anticipate the families requirements, and plan our commitments for the day so as to make things as easy as possible when we are requested to transfer. Interview with family This is where we will discuss things like: Funeral Service Venue, day and time, Who will officiate at the service, Choosing a Casket, Flowers, Memorial Book and Service Sheet layout, Arrangements for Catering, Obtaining all Legally Required family information. - Some of this is quite personal and pertains to family history and ages of children and the like. Rest assured that any information obtained by us is for the express purpose of adherence to legal requirements and will at all times be treated with the utmost confidence. Newspaper notices. - We will help to format the Death and Funeral Notice and place it in any papers as requested. Transfer and preparation We liaise with family and the hospital / Rest Home (if applicable) to make a time to transfer the person back to our premises. Usually this is done between the hours of 7am and 8pm, however, transfers outside of these times are always possible and occur depending upon specific requests. Liaison Once we have the instructions from the family, we make all necessary arrangements for the funeral, including contacting of RSA, Churches, Cemeteries, Crematorium, Doctors, Caterers, Florists, Organists etc. etc. Compiling of legal documentation We take care of all the paperwork for families, including Registering the Death and obtaining Doctors Certificates. Direction and organisation of funeral On the day we help with: Liaising with family, speakers, celebrants and musicians to make sure everything runs as smoothly as possible. reserving parking and family seats, handing out service sheets, Playing C.D's or taped music as required, and Anything else the family may request us to assist them with. Embalming and Preparation Embalming is a simple procedure and a lot less invasive than most people think. It involves distributing a preservative (formaldehyde) based solution through the body's vascular system, thus achieving three main goals:   Sanitation - the removal or deactivation of pathogenic organisms making the person safe to touch / kiss etc. Preservation - slows the natural processes of decomposition allowing families' time to say their goodbyes. Presentation - ensures a dignified "memory picture" for grieving loved ones. It is not a legal requirement to have someone embalmed, but as a matter of course 99% of New Zealanders are embalmed when they pass away. This is for a number of reasons, and if you have any concerns, please feel free to discuss them with us. Complications There can be a multitude of complications with arranging a funeral service, and we are trained and experienced in the best way to deal with every eventuality: International travel National travel Coroners Case Post Mortem Infectious Disease Benefits of Funeral Directors Service Professional reliable advice based on years of experience Relieves the family of the emotional burden of the service details/organisation and allows them time to come to terms with their grief. Dedicated facilities such as vehicles, Chapels and Reception Lounge Maintenance of social expectations and dignity Adherence to all legislative requirements