Posts Tagged ‘Funeral Planning’

Funeral Planning Help: How to Get over Your Fear of Cemeteries

Sunday, March 17th, 2013

Funeral Planning Help: How to Get over Your Fear of CemeteriesThe fear of cemeteries (coimetrophia) or tombstones (placophobia) is a very real thing—just as real as the fear of heights or crowds or any of those things that inhibit a person’s ability to cope in this world. For most people, a fear of cemeteries can be avoided by simply not going to burial grounds or being in any way affiliated with them. Though difficult, life can still go on as normal.

However, when funeral planning becomes necessary or when a loved one dies, these fears can come to the forefront. And because the fear is often so debilitating it’s not possible to go anywhere near the funeral plans, it can lead to quite a bit of unresolved grief and emotions.

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Green Funeral Options: Funeral Plants

Tuesday, February 26th, 2013

Green Funeral Options: Funeral PlantsFuneral flowers are one of those things that almost everyone associates with the traditional funeral setting. From huge commemorative wreaths to the casket flowers that add a touch of color and brightness to a memorial service, many people find that sending sympathy flowers is a great way to show your love and help support the bereaving family.

However, with green funerals on the rise, it might not feel right to spend money on a display that will only last for a few days. While some families preserve funeral flowers or turn the blooms into potpourri, others end up throwing the decaying flowers out. That’s why alternative funeral flower options like funeral plants exist.

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Funeral Mediation: When Families Disagree

Saturday, February 23rd, 2013

Funeral Mediation: When Families DisagreeDeath and funeral planning have the tendency to bring out the best and the worst in people. While families might hope that the loss of a loved one will bring them together as a cohesive unit, it is often found that the reverse is true. From disagreements about money issues to the actual funeral planning process (including how the body is disposed of, what kind of funeral service is held, religious preferences, and even flower choices), it often comes to pass that individuals simply cannot agree on how to proceed.

Understandably, this can quickly make a bad situation even worse—especially if there are no pre-arranged funeral plans in place and there has not been an Executor to the Estate named.

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Funeral Planning and Decision Fatigue

Friday, February 15th, 2013

Funeral Planning and Decision FatigueIt’s no secret that planning a funeral is a mentally exhausting task. Most people charged with the task of burying a loved one are already reeling from an overflow of emotion, and when you add the need to make dozens of financial and burial decisions, the results can tear a person down.

According to recent studies about the process of making decisions, there might be some science behind the difficulties we face when planning a funeral (above and beyond mere loss). Decision fatigue, or the emotional toll that an abundance of decision making has on the human brain, can impact the way you think about your choices. And in many cases, the results will be vastly different than if you’d made that decision a few hours earlier (or later).

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Funeral Planning Information: The Business of Selling Caskets

Wednesday, February 13th, 2013

Funeral Planning Information: The Business of Selling CasketsAlthough funeral planning has included coffins over thousands of years of human history (with ancient Egyptian caskets among the finest), the casket industry as we know it today is a fairly recent development. As is the case with almost all of our modern-day funeral traditions, the practice of using formal, wooden (or metal) caskets purchased from a funeral home for the express purpose of looking good goes back to the Victorian era.

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The Truth about Embalming

Tuesday, February 5th, 2013

The Truth about EmbalmingWhen funeral planning, embalming is typically introduced as a way to preserve the dignity and appearance of the deceased in the days leading up to the burial. Through the use of various medical techniques, the body is drained of its natural fluids and replaced with chemicals that provide a more “life-like” appearance for the deceased. Although the reasons for embalming vary, it is most common when the family opts for an open casket ceremony.

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Green Burial Casket Options

Sunday, January 27th, 2013

Green Burial Casket OptionsGreen funerals are an increasingly popular choice for funeral planning in the modern age. Not only can you say goodbye to your loved ones in a way that doesn’t put a strain on the environment, but eco-friendly burial options also allow you to save up to thousands of dollars on traditional casket materials.

“Green” caskets, or coffins made from earth-friendly, biodegradable materials, serve the same function as metal caskets, but with a faster decomposition time. Since there is no way to halt the natural progress of a body’s decay (you can only delay it), green burial options skip many of the unnecessary steps and costs associated with a funeral and allow you to put your focus where it really belongs—on your loved ones.

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Who is Responsible for Burial Costs When a Loved One Dies?

Friday, January 25th, 2013

Who is Responsible for Burial Costs When a Loved One Dies?If an individual passes away without any advance funeral planning in place, it can be difficult to know who is responsible for funeral costs. Few people can afford to foot the bill for a funeral all by themselves, and in a situation that’s already filled with tension, it can put a strain on the family to determine who should play the primary financial role.

To further complicate matters, every state has its own regulations regarding fiscal responsibility. While most states adhere to similar laws, you may have to talk with a local attorney to get specific information for your situation.

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Traditional Burial Alternative: Turn Your Ashes into a Vinyl Record?

Wednesday, January 23rd, 2013

Traditional Burial Alternative: Turn Your Ashes into a Vinyl Record?For some people, traditional funeral planning just isn’t enough. The rituals surrounding burial and cremation have been around for so many hundreds of years that it’s almost impossible to make your funeral stand out from the crowd as something unique and special. That’s why some companies take the process of body disposal to a new level—even so far as turning you into a vinyl record.

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New York Pet Cemetery is the Oldest in the World

Thursday, January 17th, 2013

New York Pet Cemetery is the Oldest in the WorldPet cemeteries are an important part of the grieving process for many individuals who have lost a beloved pet. While most pet funeral plans include a backyard service or a call to the local animal shelter to handle the remains, it’s becoming increasingly more common for individuals to opt for a formal service (ranging from pet cremation to traditional burial).

This practice is nothing new in the United States—in fact, the oldest pet cemetery in the world can be found in Hartsdale, New York. The Hartsdale Pet Cemetery facility, established in 1896, is currently the final resting place for tens of thousands of animals, and continues to provide a burial place for pets even today.

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