Prearrangement is the planning of a funeral service before the need arises, often years before the death occurs. Planning ahead is not a new concept. People have always prepared wills, purchased life insurance and even selected their own cemetery plot. Prearrangement is not only a sensible idea, it may be the most thoughtful way of all of sparing your family from making major decisions at an especially demanding time. When prearranging, however, one should always bear in mind the importance of allowing flexibility for those who remain.

People prearrange for many reasons:

• Some have definite preferences concerning the funeral service or merchandise and want their families to be informed and involved in the decisions.
• Others want to save their survivors from having to make decisions at a difficult and confusing time.
• Some people who have been faced with making decisions for loved ones may wish to spare others from the indecision, guessing, emotion or anxiety they experienced.
• Still others may prearrange because no one else is capable of making responsible decisions.
• Funeral prearrangement can alleviate many concerns and is often viewed as an element of estate planning.

Some of the biographical information required during a  prearrangement will be used to complete government forms such as the statement of death for registration purposes, clergy forms and cemetery/cremation forms. This information is kept in a confidential file until the need arises.

This information would include;
Name and address
Date of birth
Social insurance number
Birthplace
Marital status
Full name of husband
Maiden name of wife
Occupation
Father