Considering Putting Off Cremation Service Memorials Posted on December 6, 2021 by ilesfuneralhomes If someone in your family passes on, you might want to have some kind of final service for them to honor their memory. If you go with a funeral, that will happen within a few days of their death and is a nice way to give everyone closure and a chance to say a final goodbye. However, it can also add extra stress and burdens to your family as you try to plan something in short order. Cremation services in Des Moines, IA, on the other hand, come with options when it comes to the timeline of a memorial service. You can still do something right away, if you wish, but you can also put the services off for a week, two weeks, a month, or even longer. Here are some of the reasons why delaying the memorial service might work better for you. Family Can Plan Their Travel You might have some family in the area, but there are also members who have spread out over the years. Which is easier on them, traveling somewhere with only a day or two of notice or traveling somewhere with a week or more to plan things out? Giving them notice and the time to plan their travel, get time off work, and so on can ensure that you will have more family members who are able to make it. You may not want to rule someone out from attending the service just because they are far away and need time to get to your location. Instead, you can put the memorial off, plan a date, let everyone know, and give them all fair warning to get things in order. To Plan Something Special Memorial services that you have soon after someone’s death can be very nice and very special. But you might want to put together something that takes a little more time. Having more time to plan the service out can give you the opportunity to create something that feels more unique and special. When a family member passes on, you have a lot to deal with and the services being a bit off can give you the time you need to get everything you want prepared. Grieve Before Planning Grief can hit hard and you might feel like you are in shock or that your brain is all foggy. It’s hard to make decisions about a memorial when your grief is that heavy and it might be better for you to wait a bit until the worst of the fog has lifted. Then, you are able to think clearly and put something together that your loved one would have appreciated. If you decide on cremation services in Des Moines, IA for a loved one, you will first want to take care of their needs. That means getting a cremation packaged lined up for them. This package is going to include everything they have to have for the cremation process. Once the cremation is complete, you can worry about the memorial service with the professionals at Iles Funeral Home later.
Have No Regrets After Choosing A Cemetery Posted on November 22, 2021 by ilesfuneralhomes When you decide to have traditional services with funeral homes in West Des Moines, IA for a loved one, or if you want to bury someone after their cremation, you are going to need a cemetery. The professionals at the funeral home you used are there to help you with the entire process and they can help point you to cemeteries that are good options. However, you can choose wrong and you can have regrets later. You want to avoid that, if at all possible. Here are some possible regrets and how you can avoid having them. Regret 1: A Bad Location One thing you want to take note of regarding any cemetery you consider is the location. You want the location to be a good one so you can visit. If it’s way out of your way, you might not be able to get there as often as you would like. It might be something that causes you regret if you hear that other family can’t visit because of where the cemetery is. Make sure the location is good for everyone, if at all possible. Regret 2: Lack OF Maintenance Visit the cemetery before you commit to using it and find out, in detail, what the maintenance is like. You don’t want to visit to find your loved one’s grave unkempt because you didn’t know you were to maintain it yourself or that the maintenance in that cemetery doesn’t happen very often. That can make you feel bad about where you placed your loved one and that’s never a good feeling. Regret 3: Spending Too Much Cemeteries should offer fair prices and you might feel like you spent too much if you chose a cemetery that had prices that were above average. Look at the prices with care and compare them to other cemeteries in the area. You deserve fair prices that give you quality at the same time. That’s what you want for your loved one as well. Regret 4: No Other Spaces Nearby If you buy a plot for your loved one without considering plots around them, that might be something you regret later, too. You might have other family that want to be close to them and when that future time comes, there’s no space. Check out the spaces available and thoroughly think through what you or others might want before you place a loved one to rest somewhere with no room around them. You don’t want regrets over something you can’t change later. The professionals within the funeral homes in West Des Moines, IA are going to do their best to help you think of everything so you don’t have any regrets later. You want to be confident about any decisions you make regarding your loved one’s final services and the cemetery you bury them within. The experts at Iles Funeral Home can help you go over cemetery options and rules so you are fully informed before you make any choices you could regret later.
Talking To Loved Ones About Cremation Pre-Plans Posted on November 15, 2021 by ilesfuneralhomes If you have taken it upon yourself to make your own plans for cremation services West Des Moines, IA in the future, that’s a huge step and a wonderful thing to do for your family. While you might already have the plans in place, you still want to let your family know that there are plans and where they can call when the time comes. Even if you are young and healthy, it’s good to let your family in on what you planned out so they can have time to process their own feelings and get used to the ideas of what you want. Here are some tips to help you talk to your family about what you planned. Find A Good Time First, you are going to want a good time to talk about this serious subject. You don’t want a bunch of the kids in the family running around and interrupting. You need quiet, dedicated time for the discussion. Wait until the kids go to bed, have a family dinner at another location, or get on an internet facetime call so you can have the time you need for this important subject. Let everyone know what you want to discuss so they aren’t shocked, too. Know What You Want With Reasons Once you have everyone you want to talk to gathered, let them in on what you have planned out and be prepared to offer reasons. There are no right or wrong reasons for choosing cremation and if that’s what you want, that’s reason enough. But some of your family might push you and want to know why you set things up the way you did. If it’s because you didn’t want to spend much, tell them. If it’s because you want to be scattered in a certain location, let them know. Having your reasons in hand can help you to explain and it can help them feel comfortable about the process as a whole. Allow Questions Don’t treat the process as a dictatorship. Even if the plans are set and you know what you want, it’s nice to let your family ask questions. They might come up with things that you hadn’t yet thought about. If nothing else, it’s nice for them to get the answer directly from you rather than having to wonder about it in the future after you pass on and can no longer answer. Ask What Others Want If there are certain things you aren’t sure about, you could ask your family what they would like to have happen. Or, you could use this as an opportunity to open the discussion and ask other people in your family what they would want in the future if they were to pass on first. If you want them to know what you would like, it might be nice for you to know what they want as well. You can plan your cremation services in West Des Moines, IA with Iles Funeral Home whenever you are ready.
Do You Need Grief Counseling After Cremation Services? Posted on November 8, 2021 by ilesfuneralhomes There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to grieving. It’s a process and not something that is going to happen overnight. When you are dealing with arranging cremation services in Urbandale, IA for a loved one and you are grieving at the same time, it can be a lot to handle. You want to make sure your loved one’s needs are set up and cared for and that’s important. But once they are handled, you have to focus on yourself and what you need as you grieve. You might find that having some counseling during the grieving process would be good for you. Here are a few signs that might point you in that direction. Physical Illness That Won’t Go Away If you are physically ill because of your grief, that’s not all that uncalled for or abnormal. But as time passes and you start to process your grief, you will want to think about those illnesses and why they aren’t going away. Visit with your doctor and see if there is something medical going on. If there doesn’t seem to be a reason for the ailment, it could be the grief that has a hold on you. A counselor can help you process your emotions, which could help you put the illness aside as well. Isolation Is Never Good There are doing to be times when you are grieving that you want to be alone and that’s perfectly normal and acceptable. But if you find that you are turning down every invitation and staying home at every opportunity, you might be isolating yourself and that is not a good sign. You need to be among people who love you and can support you through this hard time. If you are avoiding those chances, seek counseling to help yourself through this phase and to the next. Things Get Worse Instead Of Better Time isn’t going to heal the hole you might feel like you have in your heart, but as time passes, you will get better with dealing with your loved one’s absence. You’ll get used to the fact that they aren’t there, even though you still miss them. You might have a new normal in your life and are able to operate in a manner that works. However, if you feel that things are getting worse in your life instead of better as time passes, you need to do some work to turn it all around. Counseling might be a good avenue for you. There’s No Joy In Anything You used to love watching a certain TV show but now, you never laugh at the jokes. You used to adore your pets, but even the dog in your lap doesn’t make you smile. If you aren’t finding any joy in anything after the cremation services in Urbandale, IA, that’s not how your loved one would want you to live. Contact the professionals at Iles Funeral Home for counseling referrals to find happiness again.
How To Choose A Funeral Home Posted on November 1, 2021 by ilesfuneralhomes There are many important professionals you are going to have to work with over your lifetime and some are more important than others. You are going to want a reputable provider when you get to a new city and need to build a house. You want a lawyer you can trust when you have legal documents drawn up. And you need people you can trust to do a good job when you have to have services from funeral homes in Urbandale, IA from a loved one. While you might have experience choosing professionals in many areas, not everyone has had to work with a funeral home before. Here are a few tips to help you choose the right professionals for that important work. Key Takeaways: It would be best if you chose a funeral home with a good reputation. Ask for recommendations from your family and friends, or research funeral homes online to find out what people say about them. It’s also essential to ensure the funeral home is established and provides quality service. Talk to different establishments to understand their prices, services, and professionalism. 1. Ask Friends For Recommendations Even if you haven’t had to use a funeral home recently, you might have someone in your life that has. Ask friends for recommendations regarding funeral home professionals in the area. They might have had a good experience with a local funeral home and can offer you a great recommendation. Or, if they had a less than stellar experience, that can be advantageous to know as well so you can avoid that company. 2. Look For Experience You want experts who know what they are doing and that can only come with experience. Check out funeral home websites and see how long they have been in business. You can look into their background, how they started out, and get other information in that manner. You might even be able to find out more about the funeral director you would work with. You definitely want to know specifically how long that person has been there and what their background is like since they will be in charge of a lot of the details you hand over to them. 3. Check Websites While the funeral home websites can tell you a lot, you are going to want to look at other sites as well. Start with the funeral home sites and you can get details on the services they offer. Look over their blog and see that the information is helpful and sound. Check the obituary page and ensure that things look pleasant there. Read as much as you can on them and watch for any red flags that might come up on their website. Then, you can move to outside sites. 4. Look At Reviews The funeral home website will only have good things on their site, of course, but you can find reviews about them in other locations online—and you should. These reviews will tell you the full story. If those reviews are also good, you can trust that provider. If they aren’t, at least you have the full truth and you can move to another option. 5. Visit The Options Once you have some funeral homes in Urbandale, IA in mind, visit them in person and take some tours so you can better judge how they treat you and what they have to offer. The pros at Iles Funeral Home are ready to help at any time.
Visitation Options And Details Posted on October 25, 2021 by ilesfuneralhomes When planning services with a funeral home in Des Moines, IA for a loved one who passed on, there are always going to be options. There are also options around visitations and whether you are the person planning, or just someone who wants to attend, there are things you can consider about that part of the service. Here are some of the options you can choose between: Items To Wear You might feel like there is a certain dress code that is appropriate for a funeral, and that’s really the case. With a visitation, you have a lot more wiggle room and options. You don’t have to wear dark colors, for example. You don’t even have to dress in a formal manner. You might stop by the visitation on a break from work and just wear your work attire. You want to be respectful and should probably change if you have on a dirty t-shirt or ripped jeans, but there’s a lot of options of what you can wear to a visitation. You can always talk to a family member or the funeral home professionals to get deeper ideas. The Arrival Time For a funeral or even a memorial service, you want to be there a little before the start time so you are respectful to the family and don’t disrupt anything. For a visitation, it’s completely different. There are hours set and they are more of an open house. You can come any time between those hours and leave whenever you please. You don’t have to get there right at the beginning or stay all the way until the end. You come and go as you’d like, visit with the family, and move on with your day. How Long It Lasts Funeral services are usually around an hour in length and then, the family and friend group processes to the burial site for a short service there. Then, there’s sometimes a reception after that. Visitations are different. They are anywhere from 2-4 hours in length, normally, but you don’t have to stay that whole time. Only the immediate family will likely be present for the whole thing. You can come halfway through and stay for half an hour and that works just fine. In fact, you don’t want to overstay and burden the family. Viewing The Person When you get to the visitation, you will likely see the person at the front of the space. That doesn’t mean you have to go up any closer to them if you don’t want to. The decision as to whether or not you want to approach the casket is completely yours. Go over if you want to see them or need closure. If you don’t know them and came to support the family, or feel uncomfortable with the idea of getting closure for any reason, you can stay back and that’s just fine as well. Your presence there is what’s important. Funeral homes in Des Moines, IA can answer more questions. Call Iles Funeral Home at any time.
Pre-Planning Direct Cremation Has Benefits Posted on October 18, 2021 by ilesfuneralhomes It can be hard to plan a final service for a family member who has passed on. You might not know what they wanted and you have to guess. You are emotional, at the same time. If you have ever been in that position, you might understand all that much better that planning your own cremation services in Des Moines, IA can be a real benefit to a lot of people. If you want to think about heading in that direction and planning your own direct cremation, here are some of the benefits you need to think about. No More Planning Burden Think about the time you lost that loved one and had to plan their final services. There was a lot of pressure on you. You were grieving and you had to make plans that met their needs and made the rest of your family happy, too. It’s a lot for anyone to handle. When you plan your own direct cremation ahead of time, you don’t have to worry about placing that burden on anyone else. You take the burden in advance and make the plans you want. Then, there’s no more burden for anyone when the time comes to use the plans. Pre-Payment Becomes Possible Some people will put funds into place for their own final services so family doesn’t have to worry about costs and that’s a very nice thing to do. But they don’t really have an exact idea as to what things are going to cost. When you plan out your direct cremation ahead of time, you know exactly what the costs are and you can take care of those costs in advance as well, if you want to. While it’s not required that you pay ahead, it takes that burden from your families as well and it also gives you today’s prices, which can be much lower than what they might be in the future. Get What You Want As you look through the options, you might know what you want for yourself at the time of your death. Direct cremation is simple, straightforward, and easy and it might sound like the ideal route to you. If you know that’s what you want, you can tell your family as much and they will likely want to follow your wishes. But planning things out means you will for sure get what you want. Your family will just call the cremation provider and the plans you put into place will take action. By planning ahead, you have peace of mind that whatever it is that you want will be what happens. Direct cremation services in Des Moines, IA, are permanent once they take place, but if you plan now and then decide a few years down the road that you want something else, that’s okay. The plans can be changes up until the moment you pass on. The professionals at Iles Funeral Home are here to help you make the plans you want to have in place for your future whenever you are ready.
Getting Through A Death With The Funeral Home Posted on October 11, 2021 by ilesfuneralhomes When a loved one passes on, the grief can be immediate or it can sneak up on you. Either way, you are going to need help from the professionals in funeral homes in West Des Moines, IA to meet your loved one’s needs and to help you plan things out for their final services. These professionals are going to help you get through your loved one’s death and start the process of saying that final goodbye. They Offer Support And Compassion One of the first things you will notice about the funeral home is how supportive they are throughout the process. They know you need certain things, like compassion, as you work your way through the plans. That can be hard for some people to give, but it’s automatic for funeral directors. They are naturally compassionate people and they get a lot of practice at it, too. They are also going to support you through your decisions. They will give you the information you need to make choices and as you make them, they support you in them. You’ll feel good about the options you are putting together with their support. They Cover Your Loved One’s Needs It’s important to you, first and foremost, that your loved one’s needs are going to be met and that’s something you get right away with the right funeral home. Once you decide to use them, they are going to take care of transporting your loved one from the place of their death to their facilities. There, they can care for them with dignity as you decide what you want to do. You know your loved one’s needs are met and they are in good hands in the meantime while you plan. They Have Grief Resources Your primary concern right away might be caring for your loved one’s needs and getting your family what they need to get closure, say goodbye, and move forward. But at some point, you will need to focus on yourself and your own grief as well. The funeral home is going to be there for you through that also. They understand that every grieving process is unique and they have grief resources that might be suited to what you are going through. You can ask them for references for grief support groups, counselors, and other things to get through this hard time. Get Tips For Self Care The funeral home professionals are going to recommend that you care for yourself throughout this grieving and planning process. They want you to understand that while grief is never easy, it’s only going to be harder if you aren’t caring for yourself. They might recommend that you take breaks and rest, that you eat a good meal, and other things out of concern for your well being during this process. There’s nothing easy about working with funeral homes in West Des Moines, IA on final services for a loved one, but the professionals at Iles Funeral Home promise to be there for you through it all.
Is Livestreaming Cremation Services For You? Posted on October 4, 2021 by ilesfuneralhomes While it might be hard to decide on cremation services in West Des Moines, IA for a loved one who has passed on, it can be even harder to decide what kind of memorial you want to have for that person. There are so many choices it might be overwhelming to choose what you want to do and get things planned out. In addition to the plans, you will want to consider the details on the outside, like whether or not you want to livestream the service. While that option can be very nice for some, it’s not for everyone. Here are a few ways to tell if it’s right for you: You Have Family Far Away That Can’t Attend You want your family to have the opportunity to honor your loved one in whatever way you see fit. While it would be nice if everyone was able to make it in person so you could all gather, that’s not always reality. You might have family that lives far away and just can’t make the trip at the right time. In order to include them in the services, you could consider livestreaming the services so they can be there, even from a far, to honor your loved one with you. This might be a benefit to them as well so they can get the closure they need and say that final goodbye in their own way. You Want Small Services, But Don’t Like Leaving Others Out There’s nothing wrong with having a memorial service that is on the small side. It can be very nice to be there with your small family group and have something intimate and lovely. However, you might feel bad about leaving certain people out of that mixture. Instead of feeling like you are excluding people who might want to be there, you may want to livestream the service to anyone outside the small group who might want to watch it. That way, everyone has a way to see what goes on and can attend virtually, if they choose. You Have Vulnerable Family Members Who Need Safety You might have a loved one who has cancer or an older individual in your family who just can’t handle getting sick. These people want to attend, but it’s just not safe right now. For them, livestreaming is a great option. You can have the service and ensure they are set up with the right options so they can watch things happen as they occur. They are safe, they get to ‘be there,’ and you aren’t worried about their health in the midst of the services. If you are considering livestreaming your loved one’s cremation services in West Des Moines, IA, it might be a good fit for your family. The professionals at Iles Funeral Home can talk to you more about that option as well as other additions you might want to tack onto the cremation packages we have available. We are here to help you honor your loved one in whatever way you see fit on your timeline.
Don’t Allow Regrets Over Cremation Later Posted on September 27, 2021 by ilesfuneralhomes It can feel impossible to make plans for a loved one who has passed on and that’s completely normal. You may not know what they wanted and you have to guess as to what is best. Keep in mind that both traditional funerals and cremation services in Urbandale, IA are completely honorable and respectful. You just have to do what you feel is best for your loved one in your particular situation. There aren’t even any right or wrong reasons to choose one over the other. But you are going to want to avoid having regrets over those decisions later. Here are a few ways you can do that. Choose The Right Funeral Home Your loved one has immediate needs that have to be met and you will need help from a funeral home to do that. Some people rush forward and just call the first professionals they find, but that can cause regrets later. You’ll want to look into the options and ensure that the experts you choose have the services you want, have a good location, will treat you well, and will give your loved one everything they need. Choosing the right funeral home means looking at websites, reading reviews, making phone calls, and even visiting a few before you decide. It doesn’t have to take long, but you definitely want to check things out so you know you won’t regret your choice later. Check With Family About Cremation While you might be sure about the cremation option, you don’t want to regret that you moved forward with cremation only to discover that other people in your family weren’t okay with that option later. You might feel bad that you did something they didn’t like. Check with your family and see what they feel about cremation. If you are sure that’s what you want to do with your loved one for their final services, you can give your family a chance to ask questions and get details so they can come around to the idea. Cremation is permanent so you want to be confident about the option as you go into that service. Not Having a Memorial Service One nice thing about the cremation option is that once you have a loved one cremated, you erase the timeline. Their needs are met and you are able to do whatever else you want for them on any timeline you want to have in place. Some people aren’t sure what to do so they don’t do anything at all and that’s okay. You might regret not having a service later, but another good thing about cremation is that it’s never too late. You can have a cremation service at any time and honor your loved one however far into the future it might be. Cremation services in Urbandale, IA are honorable and respectful, but they are also permanent ad you want to be sure about them before moving forward so you don’t have regrets. The professionals at Iles Funeral Home are here to help you with the details.
