Wells Memorial and Event Center will be offering five seminars within the next month to teach people in the community about how to prepare for the death of a family member, or how to prepare their families for their own deaths.
The complimentary seminars will be nearly identical, except their locations and the type of food that will be offered. They are intended to help attendees understand the benefits of preplanning, whether a death is imminent or far in the future.
“It’s the hardest thing in the world to walk into a funeral home and have to make arrangements for a family member, and you’re in shock, because now you have to figure out — do they want burial or cremation? Maybe they never even talked about it,” Wells Memorial director Verna McKelvin said.
Wells Memorial distributes personal planning guides, booklets in which a person can record important, extensive details that his or her family might need to know after he or she dies. For example, one page asks questions about career accomplishments and hobbies. These details could be used for writing an obituary. Another page asks about funeral service and burial preferences.
McKelvin said the seminars are not the right setting for people to be writing down detailed personal information. But attendees are welcome to set up a time to meet with a Wells Memorial staff member one-on-one and go over the planning guide.
“We really want to get these in the hands of every single family in this area,” McKelvin said.
There is also a separate guide specifically for military veterans, which outlines VA benefits and has sections to record information about military honors or medals.
Guests at the seminars will also learn about the benefits of specific preparations such as a bereavement travel plan. This type of plan can help family members get discounts on airfare, car rentals and hotels if they must travel to attend a memorial service.
McKelvin said that overall, families find peace of mind and are usually able to save money if a deceased loved one had preplanned for his or her death.
Marilyn Robertson is Wells Memorial’s preplanning specialist, and she will be conducting the seminars this January and February.
“I just say, ‘Look, this is casual. I’m here to answer your questions, and you’re free to comment,’” Robertson said.
Often, she and McKelvin will even share personal stories at the seminars, in order to foster that casual and personal environment.
“It’s just educational. There’s no selling. We invite open conversation,” McKelvin said. “When people have questions … they want to talk about it and say, ‘What if?’ So those are the questions we want to answer.”
SEMINARS
11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 17, at Chancy’s Catfish Shack
11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28, at the Plant City Living Center
11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 7, at Uncle Mike’s Smokehouse Grill
4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10, at Uncle Mike’s Smokehouse Grill
Seminars at Plant City Towers and Plant City Living Center are intended for residents of those locations.
Contact Catherine Sinclair at csinclair@plantcityobserver.com.