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If I have a prearrangement funeral or insurance with another local funeral home, can I use that at Bradford-O’Keefe?
Absolutely. Any local prearrangement will be honored 100%. However, we can only make this commitment for prearranged funerals and/or cremations we consider to be in our local service area. Otherwise, any insurance or financial credits you have will be applied toward the service of your choice.
What purpose does a funeral serve?
It is the customary way to recognize death, its finality and to celebrate the life one has lived. Funerals are recognized rituals for the living to show respect for the dead and to help survivors begin the grief process.
What do funeral directors do?
Funeral directors are caregivers and administrators. They make the arrangements for transportation of the decedent, complete all necessary paperwork, and implement the choices made by the family regarding the funeral and final disposition of the decedent. Funeral directors are listeners, advisors and supporters. They have experience assisting the bereaved in coping with death. Bradford-O’Keefe Funeral Directors are trained to answer questions about grief, recognize when a person is having difficulty coping, and recommend sources of professional help, support groups at the funeral home or in the community.
Do you have to have a funeral director to bury the dead?
In most states, family members may bury their own dead although regulations vary. However, since most people find it very trying to be solely responsible for arranging the details and legal matters surrounding a death, a funeral director can be relied on to ensure all aspects of the burial are taken care of.
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.
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.
Does a dead body have to be embalmed, according to law?
No. Most states, however, require embalming when death was caused by a reportable contagious disease or when remains are to be transported from one state to another by common carrier or if final disposition is not to be made within a prescribed number of hours.
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 multi-level grave burial.
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.
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, of facilities for ceremony, hearse, limousine, and casket. The casket included in this price was an 18-gauge steel casket with velvet interior which 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)
Has this cost increased significantly?
Funeral costs have increased no faster than the consumer price index for other consumer items. The following figures show increases over the last 15 years for an adult, full-service funeral from NFDA survey’s from 1991 to the present.
*See question above for what is included in these costs
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.
What elements of cost drive funeral prices?
When compared to other major life cycle events, like births and weddings, etc. , funerals are relatively reasonable. A wedding may cost as much as three times that of a funeral.
A funeral home is a 24-hour, labor-intensive business, with extensive facilities (viewing rooms, chapels, trained staff, hearses, etc. ), all of which 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 licensed funeral director in making arrangements and carrying out all of the necessary details comprised in completing a funeral service.
Many funeral homes are family owned with modest profit margins compared to the large corporate conglomerates. The average statistics below may be helpful in assessing the true economic picture of a family owned funeral home:
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Family-owned
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85%
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Avg. Years in Business
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63 years
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Average Calls/Year
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167
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Before Tax Profit
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11. 3%
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(Source: 1995 NFDA Survey of Funeral Home Operations)
What agencies regulate funeral homes?
The Funeral Service Industry is regulated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and each state has licensing and regulatory boards. In most cases, the consumer should discuss problems with the funeral director first. If a matter is reportable, 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).
Do funeral directors take advantage of the bereaved?
Funeral directors are caring individuals who help people deal with a very stressful time. Bradford-O’Keefe Funeral Directors have served some families for many generations over the years. Many of our funeral directors and the families we serve both have lived their whole lives within these communities. If our directors took advantage of families during times of bereavement, these families would not continued to place their trust in us during their times of need. We routinely survey our families and the results reflect a high level of satisfaction. The fact that Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Homes have been in business since 1865, spanning six generations, stands as a testament to the respect given each family we serve.
Who pays for funerals for the indigent?
Other than the family members or friends, funeral benefits are sometimes paid by the County Board of Supervisors in Mississippi although they typically only cover a fraction of the cost of an indigent service. Sometimes other benefits are available through Veterans Organizations and Social Security but more times than not these are only modest in nature. Our goal is to provide service to each and every individual that we are called upon to do so irrespective of their means.
What should I do if the death occurs in the middle of the night or on the weekend?
Bradford-O’Keefe Funeral Directors are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Will someone come right away?
Yes, if you request immediate assistance. If the family wishes to spend a short time with the deceased to say goodbye, it's acceptable. A funeral director or service professional will come when your time is right.
If a loved one dies out of state, can Bradford-O’Keefe still help?
Yes, we can assist you with any out-of-state arrangements, either in transferring the remains from our facilities to another funeral home out of state or from another funeral home out of state to one of our locations.
What exactly is the cremation process?
Cremation is a process during which human remains are reduced to ash and particle elements by the application of intense heat. By state law, the decedent must be in a container prior to being placed into the crematory retort. Typically that container is a casket or what’s referred to as an alternative container.
The choice of cremation containers may be influenced by your choice of services, memorialization and final disposition. Your decisions should reflect your family's preferences, traditions and religious beliefs.
Following the cremation process, the cremated remains are placed in a second container called an Urn. The urn can be temporary or permanent in nature. We offer a wide variety of urns to our customers, and can assist you with a selection to reflect your family’s preference.
Is cremation a substitute for a funeral?
Cremation is a means of final disposition of the human remains. All customary services desired by a family can be fulfilled prior to cremation or after cremation. We feel that memorialization is the most valued aspect of paying tribute to a loved one. We encourage memorializtion regardless of a family’s choice of cremation or a traditional funeral.
I’ve decided on cremation. Can I still have a funeral or a viewing?
Yes, quite often a viewing precedes the actual cremation process. Bradford-O’Keefe has facilities to conduct a public or private gathering, funeral and/or memorial services. Our funeral directors are here to listen to the family's preferences, offer options, and carry out those wishes.
Is cremation as a means of disposition increasing?
According to the Cremation Association of North America (CANA), cremation was the disposition of choice in about 27% of all deaths in the United States in the year 2001. It is projected that the percentage will rise to about 39% in 2010 and 47% in 2025. These figures represent the United States as a whole; individual states may have lower or higher rates of cremation.
(Source: Cremation Association of North America)
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