Perhaps your loved one is nearing death and you must find a Calgary funeral home quickly. Or you have decided to pick funeral services in Calgary for yourself long before it’s needed, to spare your family the ordeal of making this decision while grieving and pressed for time.
If you have used a funeral home in Calgary in the past, don’t automatically assume it’s the best choice. Without comparing prices and services, you can’t tell whether their fees are reasonable, or whether you've been overcharged in the past.
Use this step-by-step guide to help you find the best Calgary funeral home for you and your family.
1. Consult your family and decide on a budget
Have you and your family discussed a budget, and decided on an amount that’s affordable for you—that you’re willing and able to spend without hardship? Shopping for a funeral services in Calgary should be like making any major purchase—you know what you can afford before you start shopping.
2. Weigh your priorities
Ask yourself:
• How important is a convenient location?
• Do you prefer proximity to your home, place of worship or cemetery?
• Is price a critical factor?
• How flexible is your budget? If
• you or your family used the funeral services in Calgary in the past, how satisfied were you?
• Do you have special religious or cultural requirements?
• If you want a viewing or service, will you need a large facility with ample parking, high-tech video screens, or handicap-accessibility?
• Or is simplicity your first priority?
3. Choose the type of arrangement
You might donate your body to a medical school for research, which in some cases incurs no charge for survivors.
Other very economical choices are “direct cremation” or “direct burial” with no embalming or visitation.
You could consider a funeral service held at home.
Green, or natural burial, in a shroud or simple box, can be very affordable and ecologically friendly.
Perhaps you prefer a traditional earth burial with embalming, visitation and an elaborate funeral service.
Whatever you decide, write down your wishes in detail. The arrangement choice is the biggest factor in helping you determine the best, and most reasonably-priced, funeral home in Calgary for your needs.
5. Get a list and compare prices
You may find a huge price difference for the same options, so doing a cost comparison might save you several thousand dollars. Often those specializing in cremation offer the lowest prices for that service, but not always—be sure to double check.
Call five or six funeral homes in Calgary and get their prices for your chosen arrangement; perhaps ask about casket and urn prices as well. If a particular funeral director seems uncooperative, cross him off your list. Do the costs fit within your budget? If not, you may have to consider a more affordable type of arrangement, look beyond your immediate area for lower prices, or eliminate extra expenses like embalming or visitation.
6. Visit several funeral homes
Make an appointment to visit the Calgary funeral homes if possible. Bring a list of questions and a friend or family member less emotionally invested in the funeral than you are. Ask the funeral home for their General Price List and have the director review it with you. You might want to see an array of urns or caskets, ask about their billing policy or meet the staff. Do you like the facility? Does the funeral director seem helpful and trustworthy, and answer questions willingly? Is he or she sensitive to your values and cultural or religious needs? Don’t select a funeral provider unless you feel completely comfortable with the director and the premises.
At each funeral home, discuss your specific arrangement choices and ask for an itemized statement. It will list the goods and services you have chosen, the price of each item, and total cost. Do not sign anything yet. Take a copy of each statement home to review more carefully, then compare and discuss them with your family.
Once you’ve made your choices, ensure they are well documented for your family to follow or for you to execute if a loved one passed in the near future.
