Funeral home mediations?

No question that death is a stressful event.  Not so much so to the person who has passed, but for the family and perhaps, friends, who remain and must make very quick decisions at an emotionally charged time.

The lack of estate planning and discussing one's desires before one passes is a major cause of this stress.  However, even the best thought-out plans may not be enough.  What type of coffin?  Cremation or burial?  Oh yeah, what about music?  And who will be the pallbearers?

Pam Vetter, in American Chronicle, recently, well, chronicled the story of Stephanie West Allen, a mediator specializing in mediating disputes before, during, and after funeral planning.  

Frankly, I think this is great advice.  Everyone ought to have an updated will, a durable power of attorney, a medical power of attorney, and an advanced directive.  I've seen situations where families are torn apart because decisions on how one's last days are to be spent, or how the funeral should be conducted, were not communicated with family members in a clear, thoughtful way.  These end of life decisions are capable of destroying the family for generations.  And that's unfortunate.  While I think it would be incredibly difficult to have a mediator step in during the funeral decision-making process because of timing issues, perhaps a mediator can be used well before that happens to help facilitate the discussion amongst the family members and to promote communication within the family.  Who knows, maybe having this type of dialogue early enough will not only promote a better death experience (that sounds strange, doesn't it), but it may also promote better communication while everyone is around.