Florida Family Cremations

Proudly Serving the Tri-County Area​

Saying Goodbye to Dad: How to Prepare to Say Goodbye to Fathers

Losing a parent is invariably a traumatic one. No one ever wants to picture life without their father. Admittedly, dads are always by your side during all your special moments, from prom to your wedding day.

Even so, death is a natural process. While saying goodbye to dad is stressful, not being prepared for your father’s death can make the grieving and planning process even more challenging.

In this post, we’ll share some of the time-sensitive matters you’ll need to take care of during a father’s end-of-life planning.

Benefits of Being Prepared

Pre-planning for your father’s death ensures their final wishes are known and met. Such preparations help to avoid the distress that comes with making final arrangements.

You’d want to limit the concern of not knowing where to find your father’s documentation. Here, pre-planning provides a solution to such issues and prevents conflicts arising from decisions over sensitive matters such as healthcare and inheritance.

Saying Goodbye to Dad: How to Prepare Emotionally

Watching the lively person you once knew slowly disappear can be scary, which is why it’s essential you emotionally prepare before death occurs.

Here are a few ways of doing this:

  • Say to them everything you’ve always wanted to tell them – It could be anything from expressing your appreciation and love to confessing about the time you lied about breaking their favorite vase.
  • Honor your father while you still can – Unfortunately, some families only got to reminisce after their fathers die. Make use of the time you have to let them know of their impact.
  • Immortalize them by recording videos of them telling stories or spending time with other loved ones.
  • It would help to seek support – Don’t be afraid to meet with a counselor or join a grief support group.

Saying Goodbye to Dad: Making the Big End-of-Life Decisions

There are several matters you should consider taking care of before your dad’s passing:

1. Health matters

First, we recommend finding out who to report to when your father dies. If he is at a hospice, the staff will handle the immediate arrangements of pronouncement and transportation to a funeral home. If your father is at home and not under any care, you’ll need to call 911. Ensure you also learn whether your father has a DNR order, or whether he is an organ donor.

Next, it would help to find out how to make your father comfortable whether he is under hospice care or at home. The medical staff may provide you with cotton swabs for moistening your father’s face. That said, they also ought to show you how to move your dad to alleviate pressure or how to handle toileting. You may also receive feeding and medication instructions.

Finally, do not be scared to ask for help from other family members, especially if your father is not in hospice care.

2. Legal and personal matters

Another practical step you need to take is gather all relevant documentation that you will require once your father dies.

You’ll need to fill out specific information when registering for a death certificate, including address and full names. We also recommend that you find your father’s Social Security number as you’ll need it when contacting the Social Security Administration to protect your father from identity theft.

Other documentation you’ll need include military paperwork if your dad was a member of the military. His service records will have his Veterans Affairs claim number and details of discharge. You will need these documents when seeking veteran’s services at Florida Family Cremations.

If he lived alone, it would be wise to determine how to secure your father’s belongings, such as his house and car. In case your father has pets, find someone who will take care of them after his passing.

You’ll probably need time off work during this period. Therefore, we recommend registering for Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) coverage if you haven’t already. Doing this will ensure you still have a job and insurance coverage when you come back to work.

3. Fulfilling your father’s end-of-life funeral wishes helps with saying goodbye to dad 

Ideally, once the doctor has predicted the end of life, your father will then express whether he wants a burial or direct cremation. If not, it’s a good idea to ask him as soon as you can. If he wished to undergo cremation, find out if he has picked out a crematorium or an existing cremation pre-planning.

It would be best if you also asked where he’d want you to store his ashes. If he isn’t conscious, try asking other family members if he had expressed his wishes. Also, you could check his belongings for clues about his final wishes.

We also recommend planning your father’s memorial service. While doing this may make his imminent death more absolute, you will find comfort knowing the entire ceremony would be as he wanted. You can start by figuring out the attendees. You may also want to identify the readings and music for this service, as well as floral arrangements.

Finally, once you’ve handled these pertinent tasks, there are other considerations to make, such as whether you’ll send charitable donations after the funeral and how you will manage your father’s debts.

Preparing for a Loved One’s Death Through Cremation Pre-Planning

Florida Family Cremations offers cremation services in Clearwater for both citizens and veterans. Our pre-planning options help to ensure your loved one gets an honorable funeral and memorial service. To learn about our affordable cremation services, reach out to us at (727) 223-5911 today.