Ask Jennings.ie: An Arrangements Meeting

When you sit down with your Jennings Funeral Director, their goal is to help you and your family to organise funeral arrangements for your loved one; give you any information you need, provide details when you want them and help you to get all of your questions answered.

What is an Arrangements Meeting?

It’s to establish the requirements of the family for the deceased, deciding on all of the details and any special requests.

Sometimes families will elect one member to speak for all of them; sometimes several family members will want to confer on specific details. We are more than happy to answer everyone’s questions.

We will ask you if you have given any thought to the type of arrangements you would like to make, for instance would you like your loved one to lie in repose; whether you would prefer a burial or cremation- did the deceased have any specific wishes about their funeral?

Some families have never had to arrange a funeral before and the process can be a bit overwhelming, as all of the information is new to them. That’s what we’re here for.

Some Details to Decide on

There are some simple details that we’ll start with:

• If you would like to have your loved one lie in repose, if so, would you like them to repose at their residence, at the funeral home, etc?
• Depending on where the person lived and what suits the family, we’ll go through funeral home locations to find the most convenient and appropriate one for your requirements.
• Do you wish to have a church service.
• Do you wish to have a removal or attend the church on the day of the funeral only.
• Do you require limousines?
• Would you like a funeral notice in the newspaper? (Please see article on Funeral Notices)
• If it is the family’s wish, Jennings can also remove the deceased from a hospital or a nursing home. Once the deceased has had professional treatment they can be brought back to the hospital or nursing home and officially removed from there. (We will check with the relevant institution and ensure that this is amenable to them first).
• If cremation is requested, we will go through the paperwork to be signed with you-as a rule, the next of kin or executor of the will needs to sign Form B Application for Cremation. We’ll discuss the details with you.
• In the event of a cremation, the ashes of the deceased will normally be available to the family 48 – 72 hours after cremation on request. The family should contact us when they wish the ashes to be collected.
• If you opt for a burial, we will check details with you such as the existence of a family plot, or if you need us to purchase a grave on your behalf we will do this too, and we will explain any costs associated with this.
• If the grave is new, we can offer the option of a Grave Marker whilst the headstone is being prepared.

We’ll also ask the family if they have any special instructions, for example any specific wishes about certain jewellery to be worn by the deceased; any instructions on hair or makeup-whatever your wishes are, it is our responsibility to ensure they are carried out to the very best of our abilities.

We are honoured to be charged with the care of your loved one and will do everything we can to make sure you can bid them farewell in the way your family desires.

Don’t hesitate to call us at 01 855 5511 and see how we can help. For more information see www.jennings.ie