Feed: Choosing Cremation - AggScore: 9.5

Choosing Cremation

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Todays societal evolution has brought a larger acceptance of cremation as a final disposition of the human remains. Many religious factors and the very conception of cremating a human remains was considered taboo years ago. However, with the changes brought about in relaxing religious restraints, changes in societal outlook and even younger generations looking at the funeral industry differently than did their elders, cremation has gained an acceptable method of disposition and in many locales and metropolitan areas is the more common method.ppChoosing a cremation doesnt mean a family cannot have final closure. More often than not, many families have a misunderstanding of what cremation services are available to them. Certainly the basic cremation is the most thought of option whereby the body is removed from the place of death, temporarily refrigerated until required permits are obtained and then cremation takes place. A cremation service can be as simple and basic or as extravagant as the family wishes.ppIt is not uncommon for a family to select a complete traditional funeral service complete with a cremation casket and then cremation to follow. The incompatibility is not going to a cemetery for burial. Cremations are certainly an alternative method for disposing of the human remains, but should not be an alternative for a funeral or a service of remembrance. All cremation services are priced differently depending on the funeral home of choice and the familys economic situation. It is wise to call the many different funeral service providers and inquire as to their pricing and what is included in their prices. Also ask what charges may not be a funeral home or cremation charge which could be added as a cash advance item. A suggestion is to do so before the need for a funeral homes services while thinking and logic is definite and not clouded with emotions.ppMany people choose cremation because we are living in such a transient society. The disposition of the cremated remains the ashes can be of scattering, burial, placing in a columbarium niche or the family simply keeping them in the home. Because people do move around being able to keep the cremated remains is a genuine option until such time they may make a decision as to the final disposition.ppOthers choose cremation because they dont value the funeral, perhaps they are not religious, simply do not want to view the body or dont want to have any type of memorial. What is interesting is that the majority who choose cremation have a higher education level and a higher annual income. These tend to be the baby boomers they look at cremation as being more environmentally friendly and easier on the family emotionally. They have a tendency to be more spiritual rather than religious.ppArranging For a CremationppIt is very important to understand that one simply cannot objective have a human remains cremated without first knowing that all funeral homes must, under all circumstances, abide by the laws governing cremation in their plot. Just as we have banking laws, insurance laws, credit laws and laws of every kind, funeral homes in each state of the nation have laws that oversee the disposition of a human body, whether it be cremation, ground burial, entombment or donation to science. If your friend, or even a stranger, asked you to break a law for them, will you do it knowing you can be fined or possibly imprisoned The answer should certainly be No! Countless of times, as a funeral director, given the family circumstances, I have been asked to bend and even break the law just to accommodate. I will not do that and neither should any funeral director.ppPlease research the laws in your particular state regarding cremation. You may do this online or ask a local funeral director. All funeral directors, to maintain a license exception is Colorado, must be knowledgeable of the mortuary laws in the state they are licensed. Colorado does have laws overseeing the disposition of a human body but that state does not license its funeral directors.ppEvery hospital or midwife must rep information for a Certificate of Birth and file the document with the state bureau of critical statistics. A funeral director will collect information from a family and file a Certificate of Death with the local government agency where death occurred. The information on the Certificate of Death must mirror image that information on the Certificate of Birth, ie complete full name, first, middle, last place of birth, date of birth, mothers maiden name, fathers name. In most states a maiden name cannot be used as a middle name. In addition most states have increased the amount of information required to include demographics such as occupation even if the individual is retired, occupation prior to retirement, highest level of education, race, nationality, legal residence. Always remember the Certificate of Death is also a legal document and there are penalties under law for willfully falsifying the document. Request whatever number of certified copies of the original you will require to choose the affairs left behind. Some people need only one or two, others require many more. The Certificate of Death is used to close bank accounts, transfer titles, sell valid estate, decide investments, insurance claims, retirement programs, etc. Everyone leaves an estate. It may be no more than selling off or transferring the title of an automobile to large investment holdings of real estate, stocks, bonds and the like, but to close these a Certificate of Death is required. The question is always asked, May I make copies myself The reply is always No. Copies made on a copier can be easily altered. Can you develop copies of your checks instead of buying checks from the bank No. Can you make copies of you payroll check and deposit those over and over No. Remember, these are ilegal documentsi.ppIn your area please ask a funeral director which person may authorize the cremation. Most states require a document that is called Authorization to Cremate that funeral homes have. Not just anyone can sign this particular document. In my dwelling the law is specific as to who may authorize a cremation. The decedent can place in his or her will their wishes to be cremated but it must be specific to cremation. In general, the surviving spouse is the only person who can legally authorize cremation. In the case where the individual is widowed or divorced, in my set, each surviving adult child must sign for the authorization to cremate. Notice I said each... not one or two if there are three or more. All must sign. From there it goes along the lines as the state recognizes survivorship. Please check with your state what the laws require. In my state a design which is called Agent to Control Disposition of Remains is recognized and can be executed ibeforei an individual dies. This do can be used to appoint an agent who can fabricate final decisions for the person after death. By appointing an agent, whoever that may be, the agent then supersedes all others in making final arrangements. The form must be signed in the presence of a notary public. Please check with your respective state and learn if an Agent to Control Disposition of Remains is recognized and accepted. Also, please bear in mind that a Power of Attorney ceases to exist when death occurs.ppA Certificate of Death must be signed by a medical physician and filed in the local station in which death occurred and certain permits issued by the local registrar permitting cremation. Again, in my state, a cremation cannot occur until the Certificate of Death is completed and signed by the Funeral Director, the physician, filed with the local registrar and permits issued by the registrar. Your locale may differ somewhat, but this will give you a general idea that one cannot fair cremate immediately after death occurs. After all legal documents have been completed, filed and obtained then the funeral director may proceed with cremation. Different locales depart at different speeds, have different regulations and cremation may start a day or two after death, others may take a few days.ppIf you choose cremation be prepared to select from a variety of containers the funeral director has to offer to place the cremated remains in. Selecting an urn from a funeral home is not mandatory but the funeral home does have a wide selection and in a variety of price ranges. Families may even acquire containers online and some even bring in their own container. Remember though that if you choose to exercise a container you purchase elsewhere or is a container from home to place the cremated remains in, most funeral homes are not responsible for any breakage or leakage that could occur at a later date. Ask the funeral director what the funeral homes policy is.ppBurial Societies ppThere are a number of Burial Societies that exist for the purpose of providing their membership up to date information regarding funeral and cremation pricing. Many of these societies have a membership fee. They earn the General Price List and Casket and Outer Burial Container Impress List from area funeral homes and compile that information into a listing for the members. If you choose to join a Burial Society be positive the lists they provide are correct and up to date. However, you can obtain the same information simply by requesting the price lists directly from the funeral homes, either in person or by mail. Many funeral homes today have their prices for services, merchandise and cremation on their web sites. According to Federal Trade Commission rules, all funeral homes must comply with iitemized pricingi whereas all services are priced individually. You can pick and choose what level of service you want. You can omit limousines or you can choose to have them. You can omit a visitationviewingwake or you can have one. You will be charged accordingly. I strongly recommend visiting a funeral home or go online to their website. Many funeral homes provide package services at different levels that include many degrees of service and these packages have discounts. Many funeral homes have cremation packages, also. It is your decision to buy a membership into a Burial Society or obtain the information for free. Where one may not want to do the research for themselves, purchasing a membership into a Burial Society may be more economical and time saving.ppPricing ppToday many people are very price conscious when shopping for any item, be it clothing, electronics, appliances, home repairs, insurance, etc. It isnt any different when someone needs the services of a funeral director. Some families return to the funeral home that has served other members of their family in times past. Others must choose a funeral home for the first time. There is no law that sets the price of cremations. Each funeral home sets their prices according to what the market will bear in that locale. Where I have heard people speak the high cost of funerals and cremations, one should be reminded that over the last ten years, funeral costs have risen less than the national average of inflation. Why funerals and cremations do cost is because the funeral home must make a profit to stay in business. Funeral homes must purchase supplies and merchandise from manufacturers who must also purchase the raw goods to beget. Funeral homes must also pay property taxes, income taxes, payroll taxes, utilities, insurance. Certainly funeral homes are paying the same for a gallon of gas as anyone else to operate their vehicles. Just as any other business must meet their overhead expenses to do business and still make a profit to stay in business, funeral homes must do the same. Funeral Directors are not getting rich by any means but they must make a good salary to stay in the business and help their families, too. ppThe best advise is to compare prices with funeral homes. Over the years many uncouth cost funeral homes have opened and they are designed to withhold costs low and they do this by offering fewer services than the larger traditional funeral homes. A family is not getting discounted professionalism by any stretch of the imagination they are only paying less but if the needs and demands are for what a veteran funeral home provides as part of their services, low cost or discount funeral homes will have a charge for these. So do not resolve a low cost funeral home if you are expecting them to provide what the traditional homes give away or dont charge for without expecting to pay.ppFacts About Cremation ppOne must understand that depending on the local laws, there may be a waiting period of up to 48 hours from the time death occurs and human remains is cremated. Before any cremation can occur, all mechanical devices must be removed, such as pacemakers, because the can cause an explosion during the cremation process. Open flames within the cremation chamber can raise the temperature from 1600 to 2000 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately two to three hours. Of course, the time will vary depending on the weight and size of each human remains.ppAfter cremation, the cremated remains are removed from the chamber using a hoelike instrument. Every effort is made to remove every particle. To clarify what cremated remains are, they are the skeletal remains of the body. These are placed in a tray for cooling. After cooling, the cremated remains are processed into the final consistency. Most cremated remains will weigh 4 to 8 pounds, depending on the bone structure of the human remains. All metal objects such as prostheses, artificial hips are removed from the chamber and disposed of as well as any jewelry dental gold break down into small pieces disposed of according to local law. The cremated remains are then returned to the family in a temporary container or a container the family has chosen.ppIn closing, cremation has become more acceptable as a manner of disposing of the human remains. There isnt anything that is barbaric about as some may believe. Families choose cremation for a variety of reasons, but I like to believe that their choice is a personal choice that a funeral director does not need to delve into, but to provide.

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