Funeral homes strive to support families through difficult times while ensuring the desires and wishes of and for lost loved ones are met. Due to the high cost of funeral services, some people may believe funeral homes are “taking advantage” of families in grief when, in reality, each and every cost has a purpose in providing support to the family. Bartholomew Funeral Homes strives to deconstruct the hesitations and mysteries people have regarding the industry.
“The thing I've heard the most is, ‘Why are funerals so expensive?’ The bottom line is, they cost a lot to put together. People don't realize how much goes into putting together a funeral or even a cremation,” Kyle Newhard, office manager, said. “There's a lot of behind-the-scenes work that people don't don't realize.”
Funeral homes have someone on call and available 24/7, 365 days a year. The job never stops or takes breaks for holidays, so neither do the employees. Additionally, caskets are not only expensive for the family; they come at a high cost to the funeral home too.
When in need of a funeral home’s service, clients may find it difficult to have the logistical conversations due to high emotions. For this reason, it is important to be educated about the process and the reasoning behind the high costs ahead of time.
“The best way to communicate that to people is to do it early,” Newhard said. “We try to help people understand before they have to come and use our services. There are certain things that go into a funeral that cost a lot of money. Depending on what you choose – cremation or burial – the price may fluctuate, but you have to understand that there's a baseline for what we have to do.”
Many small details go into the process that the family isn’t required to know or hear about at the moment. However, it may be helpful to know what goes on behind the scenes ahead of time to better understand how the Bartholomew Funeral Home staff can best meet your needs.
“We do our best to adapt to your scenario and your situation while helping you in whatever we think is the best way,” Newhard said.
Ensuring everyone is properly educated before making a decision is important. Bartholomew Funeral Home places its focus on providing personalized support and service to families in the way that is best fit for them.
“Everybody is different. Everybody has different wants and needs and thoughts and emotions,” Newhard said. “There's not a one size fits all; you have to go with the flow for lack of a better term and take it one day at a time.“
Different cultures and religions act differently in the event of death. Different groups have distinct traditions, and it is the funeral home’s job to ensure these wishes are met to the best of their ability. To do so, hard conversations are essential, and background knowledge will make those conversations significantly easier.
If you have questions about any aspects of the process, call or stop by and talk to the Bartholomew Funeral Home staff. This industry is here to help the people in need of their services.
“We're here to help,” Newhard said. “We are in the service industry. If we didn't want to be there to help you, we wouldn't be doing this job.”
For more information, please visit bartholomewnewhard.com.