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Showing posts with the label funeral homes

How Prefunding a Funeral Can Help You Qualify for Medicaid

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A family member or friend is seeking to qualify for Medicaid and must spend down their assets to meet the threshold for eligibility, but you know that this person will need to have some money set aside for a funeral when they die. This dilemma may seem like a catch-22: there need to be assets to pay for a funeral, but there cannot be assets to qualify for Medicaid. Fortunately, there are stipulations in the rules governing Medicaid eligibility that allow an individual to set aside money in a qualified irrevocable prepaid funeral account without those funds being counted as assets when determining whether the person is qualified for the program. If your family member or friend expects to receive SSI/Medicaid or General Assistance within the next six months, they are permitted to establish an account, without those funds jeopardizing eligibility. This allows individuals to plan and pay for a funeral before assets are spent down to Medicaid eligibility levels. When making prepaid funeral ...

How to Create a Memorial Display

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  A memorial display is an arrangement of photographs and memorabilia of your loved one that is set up for family and friends to view and interact with at the gathering time. It can also serve as a focal point during the service itself. We've seen many beautiful displays over the years and want to share some great ideas. First, it will be important to find the time to gather materials. This can be a time-consuming process, and multiple family members may want to be involved, so coordination will be important. You will also need time to set up your display on the day of services, so plan to arrive early to avoid having to rush. Photos are probably the most crucial element of any display. A large photo can serve as a focal point, drawing the eye. If you only have small photos, consider having a favorite one enlarged to an 8x10 and placed in a frame. This can be done quickly at many drugstores or camera shops. Other photos, whether framed, loose on the table or contained in albums for...

Staying connected after a loss

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After the loss of a loved one, there is so much to do and adjust to that it can be easy to lose touch with family and friends who are vital to us. We can get caught up in our grief and all the changes that are happening to us, and might find it hard to relate to the lives of our friends and those who haven't suffered our loss. Perhaps we feel like our friends and family should be reaching out to us instead of the other way around. However it happens, this distance can cause us to feel like we’ve lost most than just the person who died. While many people may have reached out to you immediately following your loss, as time goes by it can be hard for them to know how to talk to you, or whether it is okay to share their own struggles while you are having such a hard time. This can make it them reluctant to reach out to you as they once did. They might also just be giving you space and time to heal. In the first days, weeks and perhaps months following your loss, you may struggl...