Sara Coy

HLT-348 Healthy Aging

End of Life Reflective Activity

End of Life Paper

When a person passes away, it could be the family's first death experience, or it could be a

familiar event; it all depends on the family. Planning for a funeral can be a difficult task. Having

to pick a casket, or urn, a venue, and the decision to have a reception can be overwhelming.

Depending on the size of the family, these decisions can be put on one person, or family

members can plan together. In some cases, friends of the family can get involved. From the

initial death, a funeral can be arranged in a week or two. Deepening on the arrangements, funeral

homes will offer grieving support. Having to research funeral arrangements and costs allows me

to see all the details that goes into this endeavor, which is something I've never thought about or

experienced.

Conejo Mountain Funeral home, memorial park, and crematory in Camarillo offers many

services such as pre-planning, veteran honors, cremation services, burial services, caskets, and

urns. For the burial services, they offer religious leaders, masonic rites, military rituals, or

readings from family members. Conejo Mountain Funeral home offers these services for

immediate burials to families who suffer unexcepted loss. They also offer cremation services that

are done on the premises. In addition, they provide transportation for your loved one from a

residence, medical facility, or hospice. They take care of all the proper documents, including

filing of death certificates, licenses, and having experienced funeral directors and people who

can write online tributes and obituary for periodicals. According to the Journal of Consumer

Affairs, there are four basic types of cemeteries: "national; usually for military veterans and
direct family, public: municipally owned and operated, religious: nonprofits which are exclusive

to a religion, and commercial: owned and operated as a business for profit" (Kopp). Honoring a

person with a ceremony such as a celebration of life can be very meaningful and therapeutic for

the family.  

Conejo Mountain Funeral home offers many different styles of caskets and Urns. Burial

caskets have multiple options such as wood, metal, new pointe, and cloth. They have featured

products such as life stories, medallions, and life symbol designs. The cost of a casket can range

between $2,000-$5,000. A deluxe casket can cost up to and surpass $10,000. For cremation

options, they offer urns or urn vaults. The cost of an urn can range from $75-$350. Conejo

Mountain Funeral home offers memorial solutions such as remembrance keepsakes or

remembrance jewelry, personalization ideas such as life stories medallions, life symbols designs,

and embroidered tributes panels. If the family decides to have a religious service, the cost would

be $1,000. The rental of a church or chapel can be between $600-$800. Another consideration is

the tip for a priest or religious leader for their service; this typically runs between $50-$200. To

obtain a public obituary notice, the price is per inch or line. An obituary cost can start at $60.00

or run up to $500.00 for a more detailed and elaborate statement. 

According to the CDC guidelines, to have a funeral, everyone should stay six feet between

attendees, wear a mask, convene in an outdoor or well-ventilated area, avoid sharing commonly

used objects, reduce the number of people who are engaging in singing or chanting and take

extra precautions for those at increased risk for COVID-19. Try to keep the funeral to small

numbers of immediate family and close friends. If family members are not able to attend the

funeral, use technology to stay connected.

 From the article Funeral Price Disclosure in an Urban Market, "the costs of professional

services and transportation, [is] significantly lower [for] cremation than [a] burial" (Sommer).

Having a proper burial can be very expensive; having different options can benefit a family's

financial plan. Researching a funeral gave me a new prescriptive at the end of life services.

Planning the details of a funeral service can be simple or as elaborate as the family wishes to

honor the beloved's loss as it provided closure and peace of mind.

 References

Kopp, Steven W., and Elyria Kemp. "The death care industry: a review of regulatory and

consumer issues." Journal of Consumer Affairs, vol. 41, no. 1, 2007, p. 150+. Gale

Academic OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A161557329/AONE?

u=csuci&sid=AONE&xid=88d846fb. Accessed 3 Dec. 2020.

SOMMER, R., NELSON, S., & HOYT, K. (1985). Funeral Price Disclosure in an Urban Market. The

Journal of Consumer Affairs, 19(2), 241-254. Retrieved December 3, 2020, from

http://www.jstor.org/stable/23859937