A good plan to have

Bri Brasher 
NLJ Reporter
 
While planning your own memorial service and making your own funeral arrangements may be a difficult thought process, the staff at Meridian Mortuary in Newcastle is trained and ready to assist in doing just that, according to Erik Bergquist, family planning counselor for Meridian Mortuary. 
Preplanning helps to mitigate stress on the deceased’s family at the time of loss, Bergquist said. 
Bergquist has worked for six years as a family planning counselor at Meridian Mortuary’s parent company in Gillette. He said that preplanning takes away the uncertainty of any looming questions and decisions for grieving family members. 
“Ninety percent of the time, families don’t really make any changes unless it’s adding a song or a Scripture or something special to them,” Bergquist said. “Most families are very grateful for the planning their family member did, and it allows them to grieve without having to worry about where money may be coming from.” 
Bergquist said the planning process is undertaken as if something had happened that day. This helps people focus in on what they want for their services. He said people can plan their funeral or memorial service — whatever they choose to do — make decisions on cremation or burial, decide which church and who to conduct services, the music to be played and the pictures to be shared. Bergquist said he sees the preplanning process as winning the appreciation of family members. 
Bergquist advised that people look at the planning process as if they were the family members who had to do it. 
“Would you not find it more of an appreciative thing that they had made some effort to organize things ahead of time?” he said.
Bergquist also explained that the financial pieces of the preplanning puzzle are also put in place so that people can budget and take care of services accordingly. 
“When we lose someone and you have to make all of these plans, it creates a bit of a stress and weight on their shoulders,” Bergquist said of grieving family members. “And the first thing (they worry about) is, how can we pay for this?” 
Bergquist said family members will start to talk about pulling funds from savings, for example, or possibly a 401(k) or a child’s college fund to pay for services. He said he can see a weight lift off of their shoulders when Meridian staff members show them that things are already accounted for and the decisions made. Bergquist said that family members often feel relieved  when they go through a preplanning folder provided by their loved one. Bergquist described the process as a “huge positive.” 
According to Bergquist, the family can make adjustments, such as adding a song, photo or special something to the ceremony. Additions and changes can be made at any time by the planner, too. Bergquist said changes are sometimes done when a new grandchild joins the family and pictures are updated or a new song is released that becomes special to the family. The plans are then shared with the funeral director when the time comes. 
“It’s an ongoing conversation. … I keep in contact with people, and they keep in contact with me,” Bergquist said. 
Bergquist said he also visits people in hospice care to hear their wishes. He said that family members often sit in on the conversation. Bergquist said that the same courtesy he provides to people in the Gillette area will be extended to the communities of Newcastle, Upton and the surrounding areas. 
According to Bergquist, he typically meets with adults older than 50 for preplanning services, but it can be done for all ages. He said Meridian Mortuary will be sending out surveys to families in the Newcastle area, and if interested, people can fill out and return the survey and the staff at the mortuary will then reach out to set up a meeting and share more information. People can also call for additional information at (307) 746-2986.