Year: 2022

In Australia, the term next of kin is a person’s spouse, de facto partner or closest living relative above 18.

When a person dies, their affairs need to be finalised. Typically, this starts with notifying family and friends of their passing, making funeral arrangements, and ends with the administration of their assets and finalising financial affairs.

Unless there’s another emergency contact listed, a person’s next of kin is the first person notified in these circumstances. When a loved one dies, in most cases a next of kin is responsible for making legal decisions, organising the funeral, and managing their estate (an estate is all the money and property that the deceased owns upon their death).

Where there is a Will, the executors are responsible for administering the deceased’s estate. If there is no valid Will, the next of kin can carry out these responsibilities.

How to determine Next of Kin

The legal order of priority used to identify the next of kin is as follows:

– Spouse or domestic partner (same sex couples included)
– Adult children
– Parents
– Adult siblings (the eldest sibling takes priority)
– Any person who was a representative for the deceased immediately before death

Are you a next of kin and need assistance with what’s required and steps involved to farewell your loved one?

As a family owned and operated funeral service provider, Personal Farewells understands the importance of family, and we’re here to support, guide and help you through this process.

Call us on 1300 95 95 33, email us on [email protected], or fill out our contact form for more information.

 

Today’s funerals are more personalised and individual than ever before, allowing us to say goodbye to loved ones with meaning. Gone are the days where we only wear black to funerals, we’re seeing so many requests to wear colour to remember and celebrate the life that was lost. Whilst many religious ceremonies are still quite traditional, respectful and have their place within society, there are so many other options available to families to celebrate the life of their loved one.

At Personal Farewells, we partner with several locations to provide families with alternative options to the traditional church or chapel funeral, followed by a wake at a nearby venue. Known as a ‘Celebration of Life’, select function venues can cater for the coffin to be onsite for the farewell ceremony as an alternative to a church or crematorium, with the wake following immediately thereafter (although, keep in mind that not all venues have the access requirements to be able to provide these services).

Below are our Top 3 venues we work with within the St George & Sutherland Shire area to provide our families with an array of personalised options to farewell a loved ones.

The Founders Room at Wanda Surf Club is an ocean front event space in Cronulla and can host a farewell service onsite with calming ocean views as a backdrop to send off your loved one.

Celebrate life with nature close by. Audley Dance Hall overlooks the beautiful Royal National Park. We work closely with their team to help you and your family share memories and celebrate life.

The location of the venue is a very spiritual place, steeped in deep indigenous history. The Dance Hall can seat up to 200 guests comfortably with easy access for us to transport the coffin in and out of the Dance Hall.

The Waterfront Function Centre is located within St George Motor Boat Club, San Souci. This venue offers an elegant event space where family and friends can gather, reflect and comfort one another

Ground level accessibility allows us to work with the team at The Waterfront to transport the coffin into the venue and coordinate a farewell where you can celebrate life amongst the gentle and soothing views of Kogarah Bay.

As a family owned and operated funeral service, Personal Farewells understands the importance of family, and we’re here to support, guide and help you choose the right funeral service and a meaningful farewell for your loved one.

We offer a range of affordable funerals to help you honour and celebrate their life, with genuine compassion and personalised services to suit your individual requirements.

Call us on 1300 95 95 33, email us on [email protected], or fill out our contact form for more information and support to help you through the funeral process.

 

 

 

 

When we’re faced with a life changing development it can be hard to make sense of what’s to come. There are so many things to consider, let alone trying to understand what might apply to your particular situation.

Palliative care is one area that is often misunderstood and there are many misconceptions out there that can lead to feelings of confusion and despair.

Here at Personal Farewells we’re committed to helping families  during difficult times and sharing our empathy and expertise to make things much more manageable. We’ve put together this blog to help dispel some of the common myths around palliative care and display how this form of family-centred care can create a good quality of life. 

Palliative Care Is Just About Treating Pain and Other Physical Symptoms

Palliative care aims to provide a holistic approach with an overall goal to give you the best quality of life possible. 

Treatment is often designed to suit your particular needs that not only covers pain management but also takes care of any other emotional, psychological, and social needs you may have.

Palliative Care Hastens Death

Palliative care provides a broad comprehensive level of care. It offers physical, emotional, and spiritual support for not only you but also your whole family. 

As such, this type of care does not hasten death, but rather provides comfort and the best quality of life from when it is initially required all the way through until the end of life.

Palliative Care Is Only for People Dying of Cancer

Palliative care is not limited to people diagnosed with cancer or any other particular type of illness. 

It’s available to be accessed by anyone who is suffering with a life limiting illness or might be reaching their natural end of life. This includes chronic diseases such as heart failure to other neurological illnesses such as dementia.  

You Can Only Receive Palliative Care in A Hospital

This is perhaps the biggest misconception held about palliative care. Palliative care can be provided in a range of places such as at home or an aged care facility, or at a location offering more specialised treatment options such as a hospice or hospital.

A patient’s wishes will form a central part of where the care is provided, but this may be exceeded by specialised medical needs.

Treatment Stops When Palliative Care Starts

Palliative care is not a stand-alone type of care nor is it dictated to start a particular point of time. It can begin at any time following diagnosis of a life-limiting illness and can be undertaken at the same time as other forms of treatment.

This means you can receive palliative care alongside treatments you may already be receiving for other illnesses such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Palliative Care Is Only Available When You’re in Your Last Few Days of Dying

This common misconception is often associated with a patient’s reluctance to undertake this form of care.

Palliative care is available once a patient has been diagnosed with a life shortening illness. By offering a holistic comprehensive approach, it aims to improve quality of life that can cover an extended period, be it weeks, months or years.

Palliative Care Isn’t for Family and Friends

Palliative care takes a holistic family centred approach by offering care not only for the directly impacted patient but also for their extended support network.

This includes offering services they might find helpful and assisting them to cope during difficult times such as; providing a forum to come together to talk about sensitive issues and offering additional counselling and grief support services.

Coming to terms with a life changing development is a difficult time for all those involved. It’s very easy to get overwhelmed and be apprehensive about certain forms of care that can actually improve the quality of our lives.

Palliative care is one form of care that needs to be clearly understood. Despite some misconceptions out there, it’s not a stand-alone treatment limited to treating pain at a hospital, for patients in the last days of their life.

In fact, it’s a holistic family centred care that offers physical, emotional, and spiritual support for not only you but also your whole family. It does not hasten death but aims to provide comfort and best quality of life. It’s also not mutually exclusive and can be undertaken concurrently with other forms of treatment either at home or another facility that may be more appropriate.

We hope this blog has cleared up some of the common misconceptions associated with palliative care. Here at Personal Farewells we strive to be there for families when they need us the most.

We offer a comprehensive level of personalised care and guide you through every step of planning your funeral arrangements. We can come to you and help make sure your wishes are respectfully taken care of.

Should you have any further questions on any matters related to funeral arrangements, don’t hesitate to contact us today.

Being diagnosed with a serious illness, or reaching a point in our lives where we need additional specialised care, can be such an overwhelming experience. Not only is it hard to come to terms with the gravity of the whole situation, but your family and loved ones will also be impacted by the monumental change to come.

During difficult times such as this, it’s important to be aware of exactly what care and support is available to you. Here at Personal Farewells we’re committed to providing families with the level of guidance and support they truly deserve.

Through our time in the industry, we’ve grown and learnt to be that supportive shoulder you can rely on, offering that personalised familiar one-on-one care. To help families, we’ve put together this blog to delve deeper into the details of palliative care and how it may relate to your particular circumstances.

What Is Palliative Care?

Palliative care is the treatment, care and support for people who have been diagnosed with a serious illness and also covers natural end of life care.

It aims to ease the suffering of patients and their families by providing a good quality of life for all parties involved.

Palliative care is based on individual needs, so the services on offer will differ depending on each situation, but they generally fall into the below categories:

• Medical treatment and pain management
• Access to additional resources needed for at home care
• Psychological and spiritual support
• Support with everyday tasks
• Advice on other services such as home care and financial assistance
• Support services for the extended family
• Assistance with adherence to cultural obligations
• Additional counselling and grief support

Where at home palliative care for the patient is not an option, it may be provided in hospital or nursing home.

It’s important to remember that palliative care is a family-centred model of care, offering practical and emotional support, that helps people live their life as fully and as comfortably as possible.

Whom Is Palliative Care For?

Palliative care is not limited to any particular grouping of people. It applies to people of any age who have been diagnosed with a serious illness that cannot be cured and also covers natural end of life care. This includes people at all stages of life including; children, adults and the elderly.

When palliative care starts will be dependent on your individual circumstances. For some people this might mean from right from the time of diagnosis, while for others it may not be needed until your illness progresses further.

For those coming to end of life, this type of care may result in changes to medications, with the overall goal being to achieve comfort until the end.

It’s also important to factor in that palliative care is not a form of standalone care, while in this form of care, you can still also receive other treatments recommended by other health practitioners. 

Where Is Palliative Care Provided?

Where palliative care is provided will be dependent on the care needs and individual wishes of the patient and family. This may include at home or an aged care facility, or at a location offering more specialised treatment options such as a hospice or hospital.

Personal preference will play a major role, but the ultimate decision will be dictated by the level of medical care that is necessary.

A Time to Plan Ahead

Despite going through such monumental change, palliative care can provide you with the right level of support and care needed to begin to plan for any necessary end of life arrangements. 

Being in a respectful comfortable environment will give you and your family the time to plan and discuss your preferences for important decisions that need to be taken care of such as finalising your will and funeral arrangements.

Having the tranquillity to plan for your funeral will not only give you the peace of mind that your final wishes will be respected, but also it will also look after the well-being of those you will leave behind. By ensuring your affairs are in order, you will also reduce the likelihood that your family will be liable for any unforeseen financial obligations.

A Funeral Home That’s Right for You

If you’ve been thinking about getting your affairs in order and looking for the right type of guidance and support during this sensitive time, you can rely on us here at Personal Farewells.

We’re an independent family owned service who strive to always be there for families, offering a helping hand and an empathetic shoulder to lean on. We’ll come to you and offer a personalised service where you’ll have the undivided attention of one of our helpful team members throughout the whole journey. With us, you’ll have one central familiar touchpoint offering comfort and a level of familiarity you can depend on.

No matter what your concerns are or what type of funeral service you’d like to have, we’ll present you with a range of options to help you plan for a farewell you truly deserve.

When faced with a life-changing event, it’s important to gain an understanding of any help and support that is available. This will help to make sense of the whole situation and approach any future decisions from a more informed point of view.

Palliative care is a form of comprehensive support for individuals who have been diagnosed 

with a serious illness and also covers natural end of life care. By offering services, advice, resources, and support, palliative care helps improve the quality of life for both the patient and their extended support network.

Palliative care can be provided at home or other facilities, dependent on the care needs and individual wishes of the patient and family. A big benefit of this type of care is that it provides a respectful comfortable environment, enabling a patient to start to plan for what’s ahead.

If you are looking for someone to guide you through the whole funeral arrangement process, you can rely on us here at Personal Farewells. 

We understand just how difficult a situation like this can be, so offer a personalised service where we’ll come to you and guide you through every step of the journey. We’ll answer any questions you may have and make sure your and your family’s wishes are respectfully taken care of.

Should you have any further questions on funeral arrangements or any other matters, don’t hesitate to contact us today.