Written by Dr. Joseph Marsaglia

  Some time ago I asked Dr. Joseph Marsaglia, CFSP, Dean and Chief Operating Officer of the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to write a column. His column was so well received by my readers that I again asked him to share his thoughts and insights about the funeral pre-planning profession. I believe you will find this column very interesting. Have a comment you’d like to share with Joe? He can be reached at jmarsaglia@pims.edu

  It is safe to say that for thousands of years civilizations have pre-planned their disposition (burial or cremation). Although no formal records exist to indicate this, the mere fact is that memorialization provides evidence that even the Egyptians anticipated their demise and planned ahead – e.g., the great pyramids. However, for the ancient Romans, evidence does exist of written wills where all Romans anticipated death and the afterlife.

  Just the other day in class, the students and I were having discussion on the benefits of pre-planning. It appears that the younger a person is, the less interested they are in pre-planning their funerals. Could this be confirmation that we are a death denying culture? In an informal survey of the class on how many students have pre-planned their funerals, not one raised their hand (the average age of the class is 27). However, when asked if they knew of someone who pre-planned a funeral, all but a few raised their hand. Needless to say, the persons they knew who pre-planned a funeral were 50 years of age and older.

  With that said, it became apparent that when marketing pre-need, funeral directors should focus on that demographic market. As the future of this profession, mortuary science students must be aware of who are pre-planning and what the consumer needs and wants. Most consumers may not be aware of their options in pre-planning and/or pre-paying their disposition. Whether it is a direct cremation or burial with visitation and a service, pre-paying for that service today guarantees the cost of those services at today’s prices. More important, the value of pre-planning is that a person’s wishes are in writing and spares the survivors the hardship of trying to decide what mom would have wanted. It still amazes me how many times I hear people “assume” that to be cremated, you have to be embalmed – or, how many consumers still believe that if they choose cremation, they cannot have a visitation, mass in church, etc. Again, educating the consumer through advertising and pre-planning can assist them in making desirable choices.

  There are also several benefits for funeral homes who aggressively promote pre-planning. Not only are they securing potential future business, but are providing the general public with the education and information necessary to make such important decisions that will not only impact their lives, but that of their family. Today’s mortuary students are well educated and possess the knowledge and skills to promote funeral service and pre-planning. Let’s give them the opportunity to do that. The new generation of funeral professionals can better serve their families by offering them choices today to better serve them tomorrow.