Frequently Asked Questions

It is the customary way to recognize death and its finality. A funeral brings families and friends to a common place to express their grief for the death of a loved one, to offer support to others who are grieving, to celebrate the life and accomplishments of the deceased, and to prepare for life without a loved one.

Funeral directors are caregivers and administrators. They make the arrangements for transportation of the body, complete all necessary paperwork, and implement the choices made by the family regarding the funeral and final disposition of the body.Funeral directors are listeners, advisers, and supporters. They have experience assisting the bereaved in coping with death. Funeral directors are trained to answer questions about grief, recognize when a person is having difficulty coping, and recommend sources of professional help. Funeral directors also link survivors with support groups at the funeral home or in the community.

In most states, family members may bury their own dead, although regulations vary. However, most people find it very trying to be solely responsible for arranging the details and legal matters surrounding a death.

The best way is to know in advance who you would select and then visit the funeral home, talk with the funeral director, examine the facilities and selection room, ask about prices, and understand the way in which he or she will serve you. If the funeral director is a member of his or her professional association – the Iowa Funeral Directors Association – he or she has accepted an obligation to adhere to a fundamental code of ethics, a point in which you may weigh in his or her favor.

A funeral celebrates a unique life. One way to personalize your own funeral service is by prearranging your funeral. Prearranging will allow you to choose a funeral service that has great personal meaning and will let your loved ones take comfort in celebrating your life in the same manner you do. If you are making at-need arrangements for a loved one, discuss with your local funeral director how you would like your loved one remembered.

Viewing is a part of many cultural and ethnic traditions. Many grief specialists believe that viewing aids the grief process by helping the bereaved recognize the reality of death. Viewing is encouraged for children, as long as the process is explained and the activity is voluntary.

Embalming sanitizes and preserves the body, retards the decomposition process, and enhances the appearance of a body disfigured by traumatic death or illness. Embalming makes it possible to lengthen the time between death and the final disposition, thus allowing family members time to arrange and participate in the type of service most comforting to them.

No. Most states, however, require embalming when death was caused by reportable contagious disease, when remains are to be transported from one state to another by a common carrier, or if final disposition is not to be made within a prescribed number of hours. In Iowa, a body must be buried within 48 hours of the time of death if the body is not to be embalmed.

While it is true some metropolitan areas have limited available cemetery space, there is enough space set aside for the next 50 years without creating new cemeteries in most areas of the country. In addition, land available for new cemeteries is more than adequate, especially with the increase in entombment and multi-level grave burial.

Yes. A person who dies of a communicable disease is entitled to the same service options afforded to anyone else. If public viewing is consistent with local or personal customs, that option is encouraged. Touching the deceased’s face or hands is perfectly safe.

Cremation is the second most common form of disposition in the United States, and the percentage of cremations to deaths has increased steadily during the last two decades. Cremation is selected for many reasons, including religious beliefs, ethnic customs, and cost. Many people are surprised to learn that cremation does not preclude a funeral with all of the traditional aspects of the ceremony. Visitation or viewing with a funeral ceremony and church or memorial service are options to be considered.

NEEDS NEW DATA

No, however, most cemeteries require a burial vault.

The average cost of a funeral service in Iowa is $13,125 (effective October 1, 2017). This cost is comprised of: NEW DATA? $7,275 for professional services, which includes embalming, cosmetizing, visitation/viewing, having the funeral at the funeral home, transfer of remains to funeral home, hearse, service car/van, memorial package, and casket $800 for embalming $1,950 for a vault, which is a requirement for burial in most Iowa cemeteries $3,100 for cash advance items, which the funeral director assists the family in securing but is not a product or service obtainable at the funeral home. Examples: Grave opening and closing ($625) Minister fees ($175) Flowers ($250) Copies of death certificates ($6) Obituary ($225) Musicians ($95) Sales tax collected for remittance to the Iowa Department of Revenue ($325)

Funeral costs have increased no faster than the Consumer Price Index for other consumer items.

When compared to other major life cycle events, like births and weddings, funerals are not expensive. On average, a wedding costs at least three times as much; but, because it is a happy event, wedding costs are rarely criticized. A funeral home is a 24-hour, labor-intensive business, with extensive facilities (viewing rooms, chapels, limousines, hearses, etc.); these expenses must be factored into the cost of a funeral. Moreover, the cost of a funeral includes not only merchandise, like caskets, but the services of a funeral director in making arrangements, filing appropriate forms, dealing with doctors, ministers, florists, newspapers and others, and seeing to all the necessary details. Contrary to popular belief, funeral homes are largely family-owned with a modest profit margin. The average statistics below may be helpful in assessing the true economic picture of a funeral home: 85% Family-owned Firms in business average of 63 years 167 average calls per year Before tax profit 11.3% (Source: 1995 National Funeral Directors Association's Survey of Funeral Home Operations)

As a funeral service consumer, you are entitled to certain service and pricing information BEFORE funeral arrangements are made and goods or services are purchased. The Funeral Rule is the federal regulation enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)that entitles consumers to price disclosures before arrangements are completed. Before you begin discussing funeral arrangements with your funeral director, you will receive a General Price List (GPL), which describes the funeral home’s services and prices. You will receive a Casket Price List (CPL), which describes the funeral home’s casket inventory and prices. You also will receive at Outer Container Price List (OPL), which describes the funeral home’s vault inventory and prices.

After making arrangements, you should receive a Statement of Funeral Goods and Services, which describes the goods and services the funeral home is providing you and the cost of those goods and services, before you leave the funeral home. The funeral director must sign this statement. Where transportation charges are not known in cases of transfers between cities, an estimate should be provided. If a summary statement of your selection is not offered, request it at the time of arrangements.

Funeral directors look upon their profession as a service, but it is also a business. Like any business, funeral homes must make a profit to exist. As long as the profit is reasonable and the services rendered are necessary, complete, and satisfactory to the family, profit is legitimate.

No. Talking about the mark up on caskets is really not the point. Most items – clothing, furniture, and jewelry – are marked up as much or more than caskets. The real question is whether the funeral director is making an excessive profit, and that answer is "no.” Profits run around 11.3% before taxes – not excessive by any standard.

Usually, funeral directors will help gather the necessary information to apply for financial assistant from Social Security, Veterans Affairs, retirement funds, and others.

Other than the family, there are veteran, union, and other organizational benefits to pay for funerals, including, in certain instances, a lump sum death payment from Social Security. In most states, some form of public aid allowances is available from the state, county, or city or a combination. Most funeral directors are aware of the various benefits and know how to obtain them for the indigent. However, funeral directors often absorb costs above and beyond what is provided by agencies to ensure the deceased a respectable burial.

Call your funeral director of choice. Funeral directors are available 24-hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you request immediate assistance, yes. If the family wishes to spend a short time with the deceased to say good-bye, that’s acceptable as well. The funeral director will come when your time is right.

Call your hometown funeral director of choice. He or she will be willing to make the arrangements with a funeral director in the town where death has occurred and handle the many details which can arise when a death happens away from home. Let your local funeral director accomplish what you want, whether it means a funeral at the place of death or back home, or both.