How to Choose a Casket

One of the important questions that your funeral director at funeral homes Hellertown, PA, is going to ask as you plan the funeral of a loved one is: whether you want an open or closed casket. The answer to this depends on your family's wishes or preferences – if the deceased hasn’t made a will. 

Aside from that, a few factors also help the bereaved family decide whether to go with the open casket or the closed one. 

1. Helps in Closure 

An open casket gives a chance for some closure as you see the loved one’s face for one last time. You can have that last look, final kiss, or whisper something in your loved one’s ear. According to basic human psychology, seeing the body helps mourners face the fact that the death has occurred. 

The mind starts processing the changed reality to begin the healing journey. Also, the person knows that their loved one is not suffering or in pain anymore, and seeing them “at rest” makes that a reality. Family and friends like to place mementos in an open casket which can provide solace and satisfaction. 

In addition, some mourners report that viewing the open casket helps them begin healing. 

2. Condition of the Body 

An open casket is not always an option. For instance, the cause of death is a major consideration to make your decision. If the loved one has passed away from an accident or illness that caused changes in their appearance, a closed casket is a better option. 

For instance, a head wound or sickness that caused extreme emaciation might be the reason for a closed casket. Here, your funeral director also offers advice on what to choose. 

3. Death and Emotional Triggers 

Many people are not comfortable with viewing the deceased’s body for any particular reason. For instance, 

• An unsettling feeling you get around the body 
  
• You want to remember your loved one as they were in life
  
• A concern that seeing your loved one at the funeral may be too overwhelming 
  
• Similar sights have been emotional triggers to past trauma 

Whatever the reason, if you don’t want to have an open casket, you’re free to choose a closed-casket funeral. Death is difficult for everyone. Some people handle it differently, and that is ok. 

4. Children Might Get Scared or Too Emotional 

If there’s a chance of many children and teens attending the funeral, then a closed casket might be a preferable option. It’s a valid concern for many parents and elders not to show the loved one’s faces to children to shelter them from any shocking experience. 

But on the flip side, some people believe that letting the children see the deceased’s face one last time helps in accepting the changed reality. For them, if a child is old enough to understand death, they should be told about it and allowed to participate in funeral and memorial events. 

So, the final decision rests with the family’s wishes and how they want to honor the lost loved one at the funeral homes Hellertown, PA, service.