Our role to you

Arranging a funeral service does not have to be difficult or confusing. One step at a time, the professional staff at Albany Funeral Directors will take you through the decisions that need to be made and help you make the choices that suit your needs.

We can come to your home, the hospital, visit us at our premises or wherever you feel most comfortable - you and your family are always our first concern. At each point we will check that you understand everything, answer your questions and offer you caring support.

Most importantly we try to bring your loved one into our care as quickly as possible and we make contact with you as soon as your loved one is in our care. This we prioritise to put your mind at ease.

Our professional staff will organise all the legal paperwork. However, we do need you to supply family history and information.

Burial options

Our aim is to provide professional ideas, support and direction so the funeral can be tailored to your emotional, spiritual and financial needs. We take this care because we know how important a meaningful funeral will be to you and your family. 

Depending on your culture, your family traditions and the life of your loved one, you may want to consider: 

• A chapel service with burial in a family plot
• A funeral service in your church followed by burial
• A cremation followed by a catered get-together
• A natural earth burial
• A service involving a viewing followed by an outdoor ceremony
• Or one of many other carefully personalised funeral services we have the expertise in arranging.

Costs of Funerals

Offering the best value in funeral pricing is very important to us. We believe in tailoring our services to meet the budgets of all families. We offer competitive funeral pricing and welcome discussing our prices with you. You may inquire about our services by phone, in person or the internet.

The costs comprise of several components:

Funeral Directors Professional Service Fee

Fees associated with arranging, planning and conducting the funeral service, including documentation and certificates, clergy / celebrant fee, mortuary care, transfers, mourning cars, hearse, liaising with cemeteries, crematoria, newspapers, florists, incidental disbursements and any necessary liaison with health care facilities, or Coroner's Office.

Burial or Cremation Fees

These costs vary dependent upon the Cemetery or Crematorium. The costs are set by the respective facilities, regardless of the Funeral Director concerned.

Coffin / Casket

Click here for more details

Basic (Optional) Extras

• Use of Crematorium Chapel
• Flowers
• Celebrant
• Newspaper notices
• Memorial Book

Memorialisation Fees

Plaques, headstones, monuments, vaults, niche walls or other options. Such matters are in the province of the selected Cemetery or Crematorium and will need to be negotiated by the family. However, Albany Funeral Directors can provide impartial advice if required.

Prepaid Funerals

The other way Albany Funeral Directors can help you is when you arrange and prepay a funeral service with us. 

A pre-paid funeral plan is simply a funeral planned and paid for in advance. Prepaying a funeral means you make the important decisions and arrangements yourself, saving you money and it protects your loved ones from the complication of arranging a funeral at an emotional time.

There are significant benefits to organising a pre-paid funeral:

• You save your family from having to make difficult decisions at an emotional time. You can have the peace of mind of knowing that all the necessary arrangements are in place, saving your family emotional and financial burden in the future.
• You fix your costs at today's prices. By pre-paying your funeral service you cannot be affected by any future price increases.
• Your wishes are carried out as you intended. You choose the type and style of service you want with the Funeral Director of your choice.

For more information contact Albany Funeral Directors on (08) 9842 3443.

 

What to Do When a Death occurs:

At Home or Where Privately Being Cared For:

• Call the deceased's Doctor. Once the doctor has certified the deceased and is satisfied as to the cause of death, a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death will be prepared at the doctor’s surgery. Inform the doctor whether it a burial or cremation.
• If the Doctor has not attended the deceased in the past three months, or the Doctor is uncertain as to the exact cause of death, the death then becomes a Coroner's matter and police will have to be notified.
• A registered nurse may also certify death.
• If a decision about a Funeral Director has not already been made, this should be decided at this time and initial contact made.
• When the Medical Certificate is issued (or the doctor agrees to sign this document at the earliest time), the Funeral Director may transport the deceased from the place of death to their premises.

At A Hospital or Nursing Home

• Nursing Home or Hospital staff will contact the family and advise them of the death. The family may wish to see the deceased before any arrangements are made for their transportation to a Funeral Home.
• Once the staff at the hospital or nursing home have satisfied the legal requirements regarding the cause of death and the identity of the deceased, a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death can then be issued.
• The nursing home or hospital will contact the funeral director. The Funeral Director will attend to collect all relevant documents from the hospital at this time.
• In all cases, the Nursing Home requires the Funeral Director to attend to transport the deceased as soon as possible.

Accidental or Sudden, Unexpected Death:

• If a death is due to an accident, or is sudden and unexpected, the ambulance and police should be called immediately.
• The ambulance and police will attend and will ask relevant questions about the identity of the deceased and the circumstances of the death. The ambulance paramedic will certify life extinct.
• The family should contact a Funeral Director of their choice to attend to the arrangements of obtaining release from the Coroner's care.

Who You need to Notify

The death of a family member presents a lot of things to do. This list has been prepared as a guideline to assist you to notify relevant departments and organizations that may need to be advised of the death of your loved one. We cannot guarantee that this list covers all entities but is a guide to make things a little easier.

• Banks and other financial institutions
• Employers/ former employer
• Australian Taxation Office
• Broker/Investment Agency
• Centrelink
• Chemist
• Clubs and Organisations
• Community Health
• Department of Transport
• Doctor
• Driver’s Licence
• Electoral Office
• Electricity / Gas Supplier
• Executor of Will
• Finance Companies
• Healthcare
• Home Care / Nursing Service
• Hospital / Nursing Home
• Life Insurance Companies
• Meals on Wheels
• Medicare
• Private Health Cover
• Public Services
• Solicitor / Trustee Companies
• Superannuation Funds
• Department of Veteran Affairs
• Australia Post

Some important documents to look for include:

• Will (often kept at solicitors offices)
• Birth, marriage and citizenship certificates
• Property deeds and mortgage papers
• Home loan details (latest statement of loan account for the deceased property)
• Lease
• Taxation records
• Insurance policy (e.g. home, contents, car)
• Life insurance and superannuation policies
• Any documents about pre-paid funeral arrangements
• Bank account details

For any questions about the making of funeral arrangements, please contact us at any time. We will always give you any cooperation and assistance that you may require.

Bereavement and after-care support

At Albany Funeral Directors, we continue to support you for as long as you need us. We are always happy to give advice, point you in the right direction or help you commemorate the life of a loved one in your own personal way.

On these pages, we have tried to provide you with as much information as possible to try and explain what you (or someone close to you) are going through. The grief process is different for everyone: yet, there are many similarities that we can share with you. And, we will be here to help you remember your loved one in the most appropriate manner for you.

We don’t consider ourselves in the business of helping people arrange funerals; we are in the business of helping people. That’s why we are with you whenever you need us.

Grief is a natural response to the loss of an important person in our life. To assist those that may be looking for support and assistance listed below are a series of links to organisations that can help.

Many families find this type of bereavement support very helpful especially during the first year after the death of a loved one. 

Samaritan Befrienders Crisis Line – 9842 2776

The Lighthouse – A Beacon of Light and Hope for those Bereaved by Suicide – 9842 1549.

Lifeline – 13 11 14 - www.lifelinewa.org.au

The Compassionate Friends of WA - www.compassionatefriendswa.org.au

SIDS and Kids WA - www.sidsandkidswa.org

Mensline – 1300 789 978 - www.mensline.org.au 

Catholic Care – www.centacare.org.au 

Road Trauma Support Team – 1300 367 797

Beyond Blue – www.beyonblue.org.au

Youth Beyond Blue – www.youthbeyondblue.com or Fact Sheet 16 – Dealing with Loss and Grief – www.youthbeyondblue.com/factsheets-and-info 

Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement – www.grief.org.au

Aged Care Australia – www.agedcareaustralia.gov.au or Loss and Grief visit: http://bit.ly/tjaCXb 

The Australian Institute for Loss and Grief – www.lossandgrief.com.au

Child and Youth Health – Young Adult Health – www.cyh.com or Loss and Griefhttp://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetails.aspx?p=240&np=298&id=2104 

Australian Child & Adolescent Trauma, Loss & Grief – www.earlytraumagrief.anu.edu.au

The Cancer Council Western Australia -  www.cancerwa.asn.au

Centrecare - www.centrecare.com.au

Compassionate Friends - www.compassionatefriendswa.org.au/

The Samaritans - www.thesamaritans.org.au

Solace Association Inc. (WA) - www.solace.org.au/westaust.htm

Women and Newborn Health Service - Pastoral Care Services (Chaplaincy)

www.kemh.health.wa.gov.au/services/pastoral_care/index.htm

 

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