If you are currently in the position of caring for a disabled dependent, the unpleasant thoughts of their death have likely crossed your mind more than once. Many disabled people do not have the financial means to make their own final arrangements. As their caregiver, this necessary labor of love falls upon your shoulders. Here, we’ll look at the cost of the average funeral, ways you can cut expenses, and touch on how to cope with this emotional process.
Funeral costs
According to Lincoln Heritage Funeral Advantage, a funeral typically costs between $7,000 and $9,000. This includes optional services, such as embalming, but is a reasonably accurate baseline of what you can expect. Considering these high numbers, it makes sense to begin preparations as early as possible, even before your disabled loved one becomes ill or shows signs of physical decline.
Payment and final arrangement options
How you choose to cover these expenses is entirely up to you. A prepaid funeral is one option and can allow your loved one to have some say in how you say farewell. A prepaid funeral arrangement is typically made through a single funeral home. You will contract with this provider based on current prices and pay the estimated total either in a lump-sum or in installments. Keep in mind that there are many unnecessary funeral expenses. Avoiding these can help lower your cost. Policygenius explains that flowers, new clothing explicitly used for burial, and formal visitation are among these optional although traditionally expected goods and services.
While it may seem undignified to essentially strip the funeral process to a bare minimum, that is the core foundation of green burial. Many people have found that green burial is not only environmentally friendly, but it also makes a lesser impact on the family budget. During a green burial, the body is placed either directly in the ground or in a compostable container. There is no costly headstone, and the body is not preserved with chemicals — considering that embalming alone is up to $700 and a casket can easily set you back $3,000 or more, it’s easy to see why a green burial is a budget-minded alternative.
Getting help
In some cases, your disabled loved one may be eligible for benefits that can help you cover their final expenses. Funeralwise explains that veterans, for example, may be eligible for up to $762 in death benefits – double that if they are not interred in a national cemetery. If they have life insurance, this money may also be used to pay for the funeral, but you will need to ensure you are the designated beneficiary. Similar to life insurance is final expense insurance. The primary difference between the two is that final expense insurance is usually a lesser amount and it is expected the payout will be used primarily to cover the funeral.
Managing the emotions
The death of a loved one almost always comes with emotional turmoil. Even when you expect the death, the process of planning a funeral for someone who just days – or hours – ago was a living, breathing part of your life is heart-wrenching. It can be beneficial to take some kind of counseling, which can help you understand the grieving process. Neptune Society’s free 12 Weeks of Peace is a great example of an online bereavement course that can help without the added expense of therapy.
Paying for a funeral is difficult whether it is an expected death or an unexpected tragedy. But when you’ve taken on the responsibility of caring for someone with significant disabilities, making their final arrangements is an unavoidable part of the package. Remember, there are ways to save while still giving your loved one a dignified sendoff, and you do have options that can help you manage the financial aspect of their death when the time comes.
Author Information: Jim McKinley is a retired banker with almost 30 years of experience. He created MoneywithJim.org to share his advice and other resources on a variety of financial topics.
