Basil Luck is licensed to educate and provide pre-need services specializing in the Orange County area—specifically Pacific View and Harbor Lawn, through the Dignity Memorial® network, North America’s largest provider of funeral, cremation and cemetery services. Families turn to him for compassionate and professional final arrangements. Dignity Memorial providers care for more than 300,000 families each year and understand the importance of thoughtful, personalized arrangements.
They believe creating meaningful ways to pay tribute to a loved one begins with compassion, and is shaped by the understanding that each life is truly unique. There is no greater responsibility than honoring and preserving the story of one’s life. “We will walk you through whatever you need to do when it comes to the time that you or your loved one will need end of life care. Pre-need has many advantages, both financial and emotional,” Luck explains. On the financial side pre-need means pre-planning, and that means getting in at a fixed (today’s) price as cemetery plots in O.C. are going up in price every year. In addition there are discounts and you can pay over time. On the emotional side you take the decision off of loved ones on the worst day of their life, it is a huge relief.
Whether you simply want to ensure that your wishes are carried out, or you want to protect your family from making difficult decisions at a time of loss, planning your final arrangements in advance is an important responsibility, and one of the greatest gifts you can give your loved ones.
“By preplanning, we were able to gather all our family’s input, and Mom’s wishes too. The majority of the decisions are already made, allowing for more family time when you need it the most,” Lori D.
If you’ve made your own funeral and cemetery arrangements in advance, you know the relief you’ll provide your loved ones in the future. But how can you inform them of your plans without upsetting them by contemplating your death? Or, how can you let a loved one know that you’d like them to consider their own funeral and cemetery arrangements and share their plans with you?
“The hardest thing is starting the conversation but once you start, things fall into place and make sense. Anyone who has ever had pre-need services will tell you it’s the best decision they ever made,” said Luck.
These conversations might seem tough to have, but they don’t need to be. What’s most important is that you have the conversation, not how you have it. Regardless of your approach, the conversation is much easier to have when death is not imminent. Bringing up the subject with loved ones earlier in life when they are younger, and most likely healthier, makes the topic easier to discuss and keeps the focus on the celebration of life rather than an impending loss.
For more information please contact Basil at Basil.luck@dignitymemorial.com or visit their website, www.dignitymemorial.com.
Tanya Schwied graduated from New York University, studied abroad in Israel, and currently works for the CEO and President of Jewish Federation & Family Services.