To an extent, the public may not always understand or appreciate the many tasks associated with organizing the final disposition and funeral arrangements of a decedent. A funeral director can be involved with completing numerous tasks which can occupy countless hours upon end. The services and human resources of a funeral home are continuously available 24 hours per day, seven days per week, regardless of holidays.
While keeping that in mind, a great deal of care should be taken when choosing a funeral home. Below is a list of questions to ask yourself and your family members before making the first call:
Visiting the funeral home and talking one-on-one with a funeral director is the best way to gather information about its environment and if it suits your family. Furthermore, pre-arranging is the best way to ensure your needs and wants are met and the stress of going through the search process after your passing is greatly relieved from your family.
After Care
Watch Video
Our compassion extends beyond the funeral arrangements and funeral event with our Aftercare Program in the initial days, follow-up service phone call within six weeks, complimentary counseling offer after two months and a card of remembrance and dove pin on the one-year anniversary of death. Furthermore, we are privileged to build lasting friendships with many of our families and nurture those relationships forever. We strive to offer assistance and a listening ear as they journey through their grief and forge a new reality without their loved one in their lives.
Every Cornerstone family receives a package containing:
The Aftercare Benefit Package may be completed independently; however, most of our families choose to meet with one of our Aftercare Counselors to ensure that the process runs smoothly and efficiently. Our Counselors review the package documents, complete and submit all necessary forms for notification to provincial and federal government agencies, apply for financial benefits, and then review the Survivor List in more detail to ensure all aspects of your loved one have been addressed. This service also includes information on public newspaper Thank-You notices and Remembrances with us for our families to take advantage of our reduced local newspaper rates.
We encourage families to seek professional services for estate needs such as Last Will and Testament, Personal Directive and Power of Attorney documents, land title transfers, banking and investment assistance as well as life insurance policy applications. We also share community resources for financial assistance for children who have lost a parent, moving and cleaning services, living options as well as counseling services. Our on-site Commissioner of Oath offers complimentary service for commissioning Statutory Declarations and Affidavits. With care and compassion, the primary goal of our Aftercare Program is to help survivors resolve their loved one’s estate.
In the immediate time after a loved one’s passing, it is often difficult to realize that help is needed to come to terms with death and perhaps the circumstances surrounding their passing. Sometimes all that’s required is someone to talk to; other times the issues are more complex in nature and require more in-depth counseling. Approximately two months after your loss, we offer a complimentary counseling session with a Certified Life Coach to help with your emotional and psychological needs; transitioning from shock and disbelief to learning how to live again.
The first year is so hard. It’s a difficult time of firsts without a loved one; birthdays, anniversaries, holidays and other special events that were important to them and their family will be tough to overcome and might not feel the same. Our staff at Cornerstone recognizes that acknowledgement of a family’s loved one on the year anniversary of their passing is important - their life was significant, they are not forgotten and their legacy lives on.
