How to Create a PDF Funeral Plan Checklist.
It is becoming more common for people of all ages to pre-plan their funerals. Just like creating a will to distribute assets and property, pre-planning a funeral can make things easier when the time comes. By doing so, funeral wishes can be promptly followed, while considering budgets and costs. Preparing written checklists ahead of time and putting them into PDF files for easy access, is time well spent.
What you’ll learn
- The advantages of pre-planning funerals
- Why using PDFs for funeral plan checklists is a good solution
- Three stages of funeral planning to consider
- Details to include in funeral planning PDFs
- Getting help with funeral planning in Australia
The advantages of pre-planning a funeral.
Preparing for a funeral has advantages. Traditionally, funeral planning has usually been something that happens at short notice after the event — and at a time when people are grieving and may be in shock and stressed. There is quite a lot involved in planning a funeral in terms of processes and costs. A bit of pre-planning allows you to lay out preferences and wishes that can be referred to when needed.
Pre-planning also helps with preparing for the different costs incurred when someone dies, and how they will be paid for. Whether you work on creating wishes for a funeral plan on your own or in conjunction with loved ones, a funeral plan can be immensely helpful for families at an already tough time.
Using PDFs for funeral plan checklists is practical.
Portable document format files (PDFs) are good options for creating funeral wishes checklists for a few reasons.
- PDFs are easily shared. Whether you’re planning to engage a funeral director or arranging a DIY funeral, information and details need to be shared with others. PDFs can be easily shared and accessed on any device with the free Acrobat Reader. You can keep a PDF on your mobile phone, a laptop, or in secure cloud storage.
- PDFs can be converted to and from other file formats. Funeral planning can be done directly in PDF format, or Word, Excel and other formats and then convert to PDF.
- PDFs can be interactive. Funeral PDF checklists can include boxes to check and places to write notes. They can include links to locations of other documents and websites. You can also insert pictures, videos, and audio into a PDF. If things change, and because of the nature of this type of planning, they often do, PDFs are editable.
Breaking funeral planning checklists into stages.
A funeral planning checklist can be as simple or detailed as you wish, whether you opt for a traditional funeral according to your culture, a unique send-off to celebrate and mark a life, or a small intimate gathering. Generally, there are three phases to a funeral, and it can help to break a checklist down into these three stages when you are compiling funeral wishes.
These stages can be created as individual documents and then merged into one PDF. Or they can be created as one document and then you can split the PDF or extract PDF pages as needed.
- Pre-funeral
In the days immediately following someone’s death there is a lot to do. A pre-funeral checklist may include things like a chosen funeral home, details needed for the registration of a death in your state or territory, types of service, burial or cremation preferences, transportation, and family and friends to notify.
- Funeral service
Details for the funeral service itself may include the location, type of celebrant or religious service, any special readings, music, and memories to be shared with people attending the service.
- Post-funeral event
A post-funeral event, usually just referred to as a gathering, wake or reception, is the chance for people to come together after a more formal service. As a more social event and form of social support, planning a wake, reception, or gathering usually includes the location, along with food and beverages for everyone attending.
Creating specific checklists in funeral planning PDFs
When it comes to putting the details into a funeral checklist pdf, it’s a good idea to choose a simple checklist layout that is easy to follow by different people who may be involved — such as a funeral director, family members, close friends, and other loved ones. PDFs can be interactive and include checkboxes and places to write notes as things are done, along with links to documents and websites, and include images and examples.
More specific items to include in funeral planning checklist pdfs include —
- Registration of death requirements by a funeral director or a next of kin
- Choice of funeral director and/or people to be involved in arrangements
- Celebrant, religious leader, or other person to lead a service
- Preferences for a coffin, casket, shroud, and/or clothing
- Transportation
- Specific cultural or religious customs
- Viewing options
- Pallbearers
- Burial or cremation options
- Types of services and locations
- Photos and videos
- Music and readings
- Floral tributes or donations
- Service sheets
- Catering
- Family and friends to notify and newspaper funeral notices
- Costs, budget, and payment options
- Location of will and any other wishes such as care of pets
- Organizations and institutions to notify where accounts may be held such as banks and service providers.
More information on funeral planning in Australia
Planning a funeral can be a tough and emotional time whether you’re doing it in advance, or at the time it needs to be done. You don’t have to do it alone. Discuss preferences with loved ones when you are pre-planning a funeral as much as you can. It’s often a tough topic that people think about to themselves, but don’t open up about until someone asks.
Many community and government organizations throughout Australia also offer support for grief and funeral planning. Two government websites that include essential information and resources for what to do when someone dies are Services Australia and Health Direct websites.
Related content.
Some of our other articles on how to use PDFs that you may find useful when creating funeral plan checklists include —