Do You Have a Good Doctor?

When planning a funeral and celebration of life, there are a lot of details to keep track of. This can be incredibly stressful, as such moments tend to be overcharged with emotion. There are many decisions that need to be made and so many option to be considered.


Cremation is one of those options, but you may not know much about the process. Your funeral director will guide you each step of the way, but you might not be too sure of the questions you should be asking them. To help ease the process, here is a list of questions to ask your funeral director to ensure things go as smooth as possible.


What Options Are Available For the Final Deposition of the Body?


There are three common options available for your loved one’s body depending on their wishes. The first is a traditional burial. This usually requires an embalming, cosmetic preparation of the body, calling hours, a funeral service, and a burial in either a cemetery plot or a mausoleum. Another option is to donate the body to research. Lastly, there is cremation. Like a traditional burial, most families include calling hours, a funeral service, and a burial or scattering of the ashes.


How Does Cremation Work?


After your loved one dies, most cremators, such as those at Heritage Cremation Provider , will pick up the body from the place of death. After preparation, the body is placed inside the crematorium chamber, where it will be subjected to intense heat and eventually broken down into ashes. The ashes will be processed so they are all of uniform size and will be given to the family in the chosen urn.


The length of a cremation process depends on the size and weight of the body. Typically, it can take anywhere from four to six hours for the process to be complete.


After the process is over, the ashes will be grey and white. The remains may also be a bit heavier than expected, with the average weight for a man being seven pounds and a woman being five pounds.


If My Loved One Wanted Their Ashes Scattered, What Are the Options?


Depending on your state law, there are plenty of options for scattering ashes. This can include at sea, at a favorite place, or even scattering them over the grave of a loved one. However, your state might require only a licensed funeral director to handle the ashes, so it is worthwhile to double check how exactly you can make your loved one’s wishes come true.


Are We Able to Witness the Cremation or View the Body Before the Process?


It depends on the funeral home, but most establishments allow the families to view the cremation if they are prepared to do so. It is your personal preference; however it can be said that witnessing the cremation can help with the grieving process.


Additionally, it is entirely possible to view the body before the cremation is performed, whether you choose embalming or not.


What Are My Options When It Comes to a Memorial Service?


Your family can hold the memorial service of your choosing. There are plenty of options at your disposal, from a simple service to a two-day event of calling hours and a funeral with a burial. It is a common misconception that just because your loved one won’t have a casket, you are unable to have a traditional service. This couldn’t be more untrue.


There is a lot involved when it comes to planning a cremation and a memorial service. Just remember that there are professionals readily available to help you with all your needs. When meeting with your funeral director or cremation specialists, don’t hold back on any questions you might have to ensure this process goes how you and your loved one would have wanted.

Staying healthy involves a lot of work on our part. We have to eat right and exercise, and we have to keep tabs on our health and visit the right medical experts when we're sick. Luckily, we have an ally in all of this: our primary care physician. Our primary care physician is the doctor that we visit regularly — at least once a year — for general check-ups and other basic medical treatment. Our primary care physician gives us crucial advice for staying healthy, and he or she will also refer us to specialists when we need advanced care.


Our primary care physician is incredibly important. That's why it's so crucial that our doctor be a good one. Do you have a doctor? If so, are they the sort of professional that you can trust with your health?


Not all doctors are created equal


Doctors keep us healthy and help us recover from serious injuries and illnesses. They do incredibly important work, and they deserve our respect. But they're not superhuman! Just as with any other sort of profession, some are better at their job than others. Some are bad at their jobs — some even dangerously so. That's not ideal, but it is normal. Just as there are bad plumbers, bad lawyers, and bad teachers, there are bad doctors.


Of course, just because something is true and normal doesn't mean that we should shrug it off. There's no way to magically make all doctors great at their jobs, but there are plenty of ways to make sure we're getting the quality care that we deserve. There may be bad doctors out there, but you can avoid them — and you owe it to your health to do so!


If you’re about to choose a doctor, choose carefully. And if you see warning signs in your own doctor, don’t be afraid to leave that doctor and choose a better one!


Read doctor reviews before you choose — or change — your primary care physician


Getting a doctor isn't too tough . Your health insurance provider most likely has a list of doctors within your network for you to choose from. You may even be able to search and sort the database. Easy!


But what do you really know about these doctors? They may be technically qualified, but that doesn't mean that they all offer superior care. Your next task is to make sure that the doctor you choose is truly the right fit for you. And the best way to do that is to check out other resources besides the simple list or chart that your health insurance provider has put on their website.


Start by reading reviews of doctors on reputable websites. No, we don't just mean those familiar review websites that cover everything from plumbers to pastries. Look for doctor reviews on a site with a medical focus. You'll find more reliable and informed reviews in these niche sites, because they're full of people who are focused specifically on medical care — not just folks who have idly logged on to critique a hamburger they ate.


Cross-reference reviews like these with the information your health insurance provider offers. Speak to friends and family, too, for personalized advice. And don't be afraid to make an appointment with a new doctor if you don't like how things are going: whether you've been to one appointment or have been visiting the same doctor for years, there's no reason to stick with a doctor who doesn't feel right to you.


It takes a little bit of effort to seek out the right qualified doctor, but it's worth it. Your primary care physician has an incredibly important role to play in your overall health picture, and you can't afford to have that role filled by someone who is anything less than the best you can find. So invest in your health, and ask yourself: do I have a good doctor?