Post 9
I’m going to continue with the funeral
industry today to alert you to things to watch out for. Remember the article to
which I referred you in the previous post? I hope you took a look at it.
For one thing, I hope you observed that there
are people and organizations out there that aim to protect you from the sharks
lurking in the industry. There is, among
others, the Professionals in Care Alliance (PICA) that alerts people to such
sharks. They have branches in various
cities. Be sure to contact them if you sense problems.
Darrell Peregrym, a Vancouver leader in PICA, said it’s time we
paused to give serious thought about “unethical behaviour and disrespect for
the dead” that is shown by “certain funeral home operators.” He tells the story
of one “home” that suggests to their clients that the amount they spend is a
reflection of their love for the deceased!
So, one family ended up paying over $25,000 with that motivation! A
potential client of another “home” almost ended up with a total bill of $28,000! Imagine that! The above “homes” were all
parts of large chains. A resident of Cloverdale,
BC, described the behaviour of
the “chain homes” as “gouging.” I cannot
think of a better term.
When one of the clients above turned to a
“family funeral home,” the quotation was approximately one-seventh of that—in
other words, $4,000. Another client at
still another family funeral home was quoted $2,300.
BC’s Lower Mainland also has the Family Funeral
Homes Association, a non-profit society that aims “to advocate on behalf of
bereaved consumers.” So, there is help.
I advocate that every family, but especially
those that have seniors or sick amongst them, begin to explore the scene they
will be facing sooner or later, beginning by accessing the above Association. Death
is more sure than taxes. It has neither loophole nor escape clause. Prepare for
it. Know what you need to know. Save your family the pain of making decisions
under stress in ignorance.
When you are faced with this certainty,
remember these lines in one of the stanzas of Amazing Grace: “You have no less days to sing God’s praise
than when you first began.” Give that some serious thought. Amazing, indeed!
