ABSTRACT
A “living will” or a “directive to physicians” may state that someone desire to be allowed to die a natural death without the use of extraordinary medical treatment, heroic measures, or artificial means that will not improve their health, but simply maintain their life. In most cases, people do not make arrangements for their own funerals. After their death, their grieving loved ones are left to make these arrangements at a time and in a state when it is very difficult to make rational decisions. A sudden death from whatever cause makes arranging a funeral even more difficult for the survivors. Research indicates that people who arrange a funeral for someone who died suddenly may spend more for the funeral than they do for someone whose dying took place over a longer period of time.
