● Our charges, which are commensurate with services rendered, are based on our known costs of operations and shall be set forth in such a manner that the public may know what is included in such charges. ● We pledge to clearly explain charges. ● At the time that funeral arrangements are made, we will furnish each family with a complete and clear explanation of the charges for the services provided and merchandise selected, together with an itemization of monies to be advanced as an accommodation to the family and the agreed-upon method for the payment of the account. ● We pledge to provide the highest level of competence and care. ● We will maintain and provide to the public complete facilities and equipment, including a highly competent and well- qualified staff. ● We pledge to further our education to better serve our clients. ● We recognize the fact that funeral service is a practice affecting the public health, safety, and welfare; funeral directors are called upon to serve during one of the most trying periods human beings can experience. We pledge ourselves to the pursuit of our continuing education to the end that those who look to us may be well served. ● We pledge to help meet the needs of those in grief. ● We will provide the public with full information pertaining to all aspects of funeral service, and we will cooperate with all others with whom we share caretaking responsibilities as we develop facts, research, and knowledge that will better enable us to meet the needs of those who mourn.
OGR members believe in the validity and the application of the Golden Rule and pledge their efforts to the pursuit of this standard in all of their personal and professional relationships. Golden Rule Funeral Homes Pledge ● We pledge to treat the customers and their loved ones with compassion and respect. ● We pledge ourselves to attend to the preparation, care, and disposition of deceased human bodies with compassion and understanding, and having due regard and respect for the reverent care of the human body, to those bereaved, and the overall spiritual dignity of people. ● We pledge to serve any family in time of need. ● We pledge ourselves to serve any deserving family in time of need, regardless of monetary consideration. ● We pledge to abide by a strict code of ethics. ● We will observe the laws governing the practice of funeral directing and abide by the codes of ethics of our professional association to the end that funeral service and this firm shall merit and receive the confidence of the public. ● We pledge to be truthful in all we do. ● We will adhere to high standards of character, integrity, and responsibility; we will make no false representations; we will be truthful in our dealings with the public and within the profession. ● We pledge to respect all faiths, creeds, and customs, and to be responsive to the needs of those we are called upon to serve. ● We pledge to keep families’ confidences. ● We acknowledge our fiduciary relationship to the families that we serve and pledge to hold their confidences inviolate. ● We pledge to disclose prices fully and clearly. Chapter summary A well-drafted code of ethics provides a concrete set of standards that can serve as a guide for funeral professionals to complement federal and state mandates governing the industry. Government agencies and licensing boards also play
an important role in keeping funeral homes, directors, and employees’ actions in check via their ability to take action against offending individuals.
CHAPTER 2: THE IMPACT OF ETHICS ON ADVANCED FUNERAL PLANNING
funeral industry and our obligation as professionals to adopt the principal standards of ethics. Chapter objectives In this chapter, we will: ● Discuss ethics in advanced funeral planning. ● Understand and apply the Certified Preplanning Consultant Code of Ethics.
A funeral service professional has an ethical duty and obligation to serve each individual with whom they interact—including staff, community members, grieving families, and the deceased—in a professional and considerate manner. In this chapter, we will discuss the importance of advanced funeral planning and the impact it has on members of our community. In addition, we will identify concerns affecting ethical due diligence within the
ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES IN ADVANCED FUNERAL PLANNING
One example published in newspapers nationwide concerned an outraged woman who wrote to “Dear Abby,” explaining that a funeral home where she had attended a funeral took her contact information and called her two days later advocating preneed arrangements. These strategies tend to backfire as potential customers (both boomers and generation X) are becoming increasingly savvy and informed about funerals—and increasingly turned off by pushy sales tactics. State statutes may limit the way a provider or agent can contact a customer. Some states, for example, prohibit paying money or other valuable consideration to secure business or obtain the authority to dispose of a dead body. They may also prohibit an agent from visiting a hospital, gravesite, or visitation to solicit. Without a specific request from the individual involved, providers and agents cannot solicit from a person whose death is imminent or, for a certain period after death, from the person controlling the decedent’s body. Most states have requirements regarding the ways in which preneed information is presented, requiring that descriptions of services be written in clear, concise language using everyday words and avoiding complicated legal terms. If a complex term
In addition to the Professional Code of Conduct discussed in the previous chapter, the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) further enacts a code of ethics for the purpose of advanced funeral planning. The Certified Preplanning Consultant (CPC; NFDA, 2022b) program offers NFDA members an opportunity to promote their expertise and experience in advanced funeral planning, which is defined as the process of discussing, arranging, and recording specific and unique funeral wishes with a funeral home provider before the services are needed. Participating members receive a certification after completing an exam. Advanced planning options, also referred to as preneed arrangements, or simply prearrangements, are by no means a new aspect of funeral planning. Preneed arrangements and prepayment of services began informally in the 1930s as verbal agreements between directors and community members. These informal contracts were part of “Main Street” business and were sealed with a handshake. Some efforts to obtain preneed business have historically been met with disdain from the public and professional associations.
Book Code: FTX1624
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