PRESS INFORMATION FROM THE NATIONAL SOCIETY OF ALLIED AND INDEPENDENT FUNERAL DIRECTORS 

Try Before You Buy Funerals

No-one would think of buying a second-hand car without researching the market looking for the best deal. Yet when the unavoidable comes, as it will, few people even consider their options. The psychology of losing a loved one is such that the bereaved are led to accept what they are offered. Few like to question the pricing of a funeral, it seems to be  "just not the done thing" when arranging the final journey of a family member or close friend to quibble over costs, or indeed how the funeral is conducted. That need not be the case if we understand our rights, according to the National Society of Allied Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF).

However, unless the deceased has previously discussed the arrangements, or taken out a pre-payment plan the route taken by the organisers of most funerals is that guided, ever so delicately, by the funeral director.  This concerns the members of SAIF, as it believes that there are many cases where people, at a time of great distress, are pressed into accepting something less than they might perhaps prefer.

SAIF would like to see families become more aware of their options, indeed, their rights in deciding how a funeral is planned and managed. To help change attitudes, the Society now wants its members' facilities to be seen as more open, less intimidating and more approachable. By getting people to understand better just what it is that a funeral director does - and just as importantly how funerals have changed over the last few years - SAIF hopes to educate and inform, as well as dispelling some of the myths still surrounding the profession.

On November 8th then, SAIF's 700 or so members throughout the UK will open their doors open in what is being promoted as a National Bereavement Awareness Day, aiming to welcome in members of the public, the care sector, social services, solicitors, members of religious bodies and others who come into contact with the recently-bereaved, for a tea or a coffee and a relaxed presentation on how SAIF members can help make funerals less fraught for the family and friends involved.

SAIF CEO, Alun Tucker says, "We are not expecting people to approach us light-heartedly, but if we can make the idea of thinking about a funeral ahead of time less of a taboo, we believe that this will enable our profession to better interpret a family's wishes. After all, there is only one chance to say farewell, and what SAIF members really want to do is to provide a service that individually meets each client's needs."

Funeral directors participating in the SAIF National Bereavement Awareness Day on Saturday the 8th November, will make themselves available from 10.00 am until  4.00 pm. 

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Images and further information at: http://www.aardvarkpr.co.uk/downloads.htm

Editors contact:   Francis Samish 	Aardvark Associates tel. 01308 897 911
email: south@aardvarkpr.co.uk
Company contact:			SAIF  tel. 0845 230 6777

Please note that this document is for information only and is non-contractual;
both Aardvark Associates and SAIF decline all liability in the case of omissions or errors.