Pre-planning A Funeral

Making funeral pre-arrangements can have varied benefits depending on your situation. For those who are making funeral pre-arrangements for themselves, this can often be a great benefit to there loved ones when the time comes knowing that all arrangements are in place. There is also peace of mind in knowing that your wishes will be carried out.

For those making funeral pre-arrangements for a loved one, it can be helpful to make most of the decisions that will need to be made before the time comes. The passing of a loved one is a difficult time to think as clearly as usual and making pre-arrangements beforehand will take away any thoughts of not knowing what the next step may be.

What happens with my pre-arrangements?

In most cases, a copy of your pre-arrangements will be given to you for safekeeping. We also keep a copy on file until such time that the arrangement details are required or you tell us to remove them. All documents are held securely and privately

What if I change my mind?

If you change your mind at any time on pre-arrangements you have made, we encourage you to contact us at any time to discuss the changes so we may document them for you.

Our Pre-planning Guide

Our Pre-planning guide has been carefully prepared by our funeral directors to help answer most of the common questions we are asked about the funeral process. The guide covers various topics such as;

1. the different options available in our local area
2. the funeral process
3. the steps to planning a funeral
4. prepaid funeral and bonds
5. who to advise when someone passes away

A Loved One Has Passed

When faced with death, we can begin to have a lot of questions and thoughts. Some common thoughts may be about what happens now? or what needs to happen now? or what do I have to do? We invite you to call us at any stage  and are available at all times to discuss any questions you may have.

Deaths from natural causes

Deaths from natural causes usually occur at a nursing home, hospital, or even at home. If the death occurs at a nursing home, we are able to make a transfer immediately, however if the death occurs at a hospital or other location we may need to make a request to the attending doctor or hospital beforehand.

Unexpected deaths

When the death of a loved one occurs unexpectedly it is natural to feel a deep sense of shock and it can be difficult to be able to think clearly. Unexpected deaths are quite often referred to a coroner and the process of a post-mortem may be required. At Riverview Funerals, we keep in close contact with coroners, forensics doctors, and government transfer authorities to ensure that we are able to keep family informed on all aspects of the process.

Viewings

Viewings can be a way of finding some closure for some people. For other people, they may wish to remember the person as who they were. It is completely up to family to make a decision on whether or not to have a viewing and the decision is often based on family tradition and the circumstances of the death.

Who do I inform

The thought of who has to be informed is a common thought following a death. We have compiled a list of common organisations which may be required to be notified.

 Pre-paying A Funeral

Prepaying for your funeral is an option for anyone who would like to set funds aside for their funeral.  After pre-arrangements are made an itemised list of costs will be put together which can be prepaid into a registered prepaid funeral fund. At Riverview Funerals we use Sureplan Gold as our trusted provider of Funeral Bond products. 

What are the benefits of a pre-paid funeral?

Prepaying for your funeral saves your family the worry and financial burden at a time that is most difficult. By prepaying a funeral at todays costs, the interest on your investment is designed to cover any increase on costs in the future.

Where do the funds go?

Prepaid Funeral Funds are passed onto a Registered Prepaid Funeral Fund. These companies are regulated and audited by government agencies to ensure that all funds which are invested are properly secured. Riverview Funerals uses one of the most reputable Funeral Funds in Australia. Please call or visit us for any disclosure documentation.

What is the process?

Once an amount has been finalised on the funeral, funds can be invested directly into the prepaid funeral fund along with submitting the application. A receipt and policy will be sent to you or can be collected from our office. We recommend that you keep this documentation with your pre-arrangement documents.

 Funeral Costing

In accordance with NSW Legislation and Fairtrading Regulation 2019, funeral service providers are required to provide a list of their services and costing guide for those services. Please click here to download our most recent price list