Posts Tagged ‘Funeral’

In the funeral planning industry, most people associate autopsies with high-intensity drama and crime. Thanks in large part to television and the media, it is generally assumed that only deceased individuals who have died under suspicious circumstances are eligible to receive autopsies. While it is true that the majority of autopsies are performed for this reason, families may also request private autopsies for their own personal information.

Why Get a Private Autopsy?

If officials don’t suspect an unnatural cause of death, chances are they will release a body directly to the funeral home of your choosing. However, if you have any questions about your loved one’s health or cause of death, you may want to opt for an autopsy in order to seek answers.

Some of the more common reasons for requesting a private autopsy include:

• Questions about the cause of death
• Concerns about the treatment and care of the deceased prior to death
• Insurance settlements and medical malpractice issues
• Family health concerns (particularly if the deceased is believed to have died from a genetic disorder)
• Peace of mind

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Although every state handles death certificates differently, there are some universal standards that should help you navigate the process of ordering death certificates, making corrections, and process other record-keeping needs.

For questions about your specific state, we encourage you to contact your state’s vital records office or the National Center for Health Statistics.

Death Certificates: Frequently Asked Questions

What do I need a death certificate for?

A death certificate is needed to settle most financial and legal affairs on behalf of the deceased. As the official legal record of death, the death certificate is needed for most insurance companies, the Social Security Administration, and other agencies that must process paperwork related to the deceased’s affairs.

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Oftentimes, when we talk about rights and responsibilities in the funeral planning industry, it’s about what you, the consumer, can legally expect from a funeral home. Several federal laws exist to protect you from predatory burial practices and to ensure that any investment you make in a per-arranged funeral plan is safe for the future.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that funeral homes don’t have rights, too. As businesses like any other, they are just as susceptible to non-payments, customers who change their minds, and other consumer practices that pose a risk to their bottom line. That’s why they have a few legal rights, as well.

Although most laws do rest on the side of the consumer, here are a few things a funeral home is allowed (and not allowed) to do.

• A funeral home has the right to refuse to accept the deceased’s remains if there is a dispute about the right of disposition. This means that when family members disagree about how to dispose of a loved one’s remains (and when there is no legal document or situation that assigns one person the right to make decisions), the funeral home can opt not to handle the case—even if one person promises to pay for the funeral out-of-pocket. (more…)

Funeral planning isn’t a positive experience in the best of circumstances—so when you add a complicated legal or personal situation, things have a way of becoming even more difficult and emotional.

One scenario that few people anticipate having to navigate is how to take care of the deceased when he or she passes away in a government institution like jail. However, this type of situation can and does happen, and there are options for families who wish to reclaim the deceased’s body for a personalized burial.

The Death Care Industry and Prison

In many cases, inmates who face a long time in prison—or who are otherwise in a situation in which death has a reasonable chance of occurring while they are incarcerated—make a will or other advance plans for death. Because they are already firmly in the legal system and have had contact with a lawyer, they may have been encouraged to draft a will that indicates where and how their body will be interred.

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Planning a funeral in advance is often held up as the ideal way in which to approach your financial affairs. After all, when you pre-plan a funeral, you can make all the money decisions and funeral arrangements ahead of time, leaving your family free to deal with their loss without additional strain. From choosing your casket to buying a burial plot, you’ve got it all covered.

Preplanning a cremation is a bit different. Because a cremation doesn’t cost as much as a traditional funeral, and because the process tends to be simpler from start to finish, making advance arrangements for a cremation is not as common. Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea. Here are a few reasons why we think prepaying for a cremation makes good sense.

• You Want Cremation: Though widely accepted by most religions and families in the United States, cremation is by no means as mainstream as traditional burial. If you feel strongly about your desire to be cremated, it’s a good idea to do all the planning (and prepaying) yourself. This way, there will be no question about your wishes.

• You Have Specific Plans: The thing about cremation is that it can be just as varied as traditional funerals. Do you want your ashes to be kept in an urn in a columbarium, or scattered out to sea? Do you prefer direct cremation with a minimal fuss? Would you like your ashes to be buried in a coral reef or shot into space? If there’s anything out of the ordinary that you want at your funeral, now is a good time to make sure it’s attended to.

• You Have Questions: Although you can research cremation options online, there’s nothing quite like sitting down with a funeral director or funeral preplan professional to get all the answers. If you have any worries or concerns about the cremation process, about cremation costs, or about what it means for your family, talk with someone who can put you in touch with a reputable prepaid cremation provider.

• Your Finances are Unstable: Because cremation typically costs less than regular burial, many people think it’s not as big of a deal to put it off until after death occurs. However, the lower cost of cremation also means that it’s more affordable to prepay. If your finances are in a questionable state, or if you can handle smaller, monthly payments more easily than a lump sum, it might be a good idea to prepay for services now.

Cremation is the right choice for a lot of people. Prepaying for a funeral is the right choice for a lot of people, as well. Combining the two can be a great way to save money, settle your affairs, and relieve your family of much of the pressures that accompany death.

In strained economic times, it’s not uncommon for families to find that they have no money to pay for an unexpected funeral. The death care industry is a notoriously expensive one, and if you don’t have disposable income or advance funeral plans, being hit with a several thousand dollar funeral bill might be more than you can handle.

Fortunately, programs do exist to help bury a loved one even if you don’t have enough money to cover funeral costs. In most cases, you will need to provide proof of income or extenuating circumstances in order to qualify.

Indigent Burial Options

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One of the things we often talk about on this blog is how funeral costs vary depending on region. As is the case with almost any cost-of-living differences between large cities and smaller towns, or even state to state, burials and cremations are marked up differently. That’s because in addition to things like shipping costs, local business have to take into consideration things like state and city taxes, business licenses, operation costs, general overhead, and personnel.

How Expensive is Cremation?

Cremation costs are almost always less than traditional burial. Because you don’t need to purchase a plot of land (unless you’re burying the urn), and because an elaborate casket and body preservation techniques aren’t required, you can cut thousands of dollars off the total price tag of a funeral.

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iMortuary welcomes guest contributor, Dennis Aimes. Dennis Aimes is a writer and insurance advisor that specializes in the GIO funeral insurance product for his Australian based clientele.

The end of life can be a time of great sadness.  It should also be a time of joy, as we not only mourn the passing of a cherished loved one but celebrate the accomplishments of their life.  The celebration is one reason why the living funeral has been rising in popularity as an alternative to the traditional funeral.

Why a living funeral?

When someone is born we celebrate their entrance into our world and our lives.  We feast and celebrate when a child is born.  We celebrate each year that passes with birthday parties, marking the annual ceremony of when someone’s life began.  This is where the logic behind having a living funeral comes from.  Why should the end of life be any different, why focus on the negative aspect of a person leaving us when we should look back and celebrate all that they have accomplished?

When to have one

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If you are planning a traditional funeral for a loved one, you may be asked what kinds of personal effects you’d like to have buried with the deceased. Today’s caskets come equipped with drawers and special pockets designed for things like jewelry and other mementos, making it easy and elegant to bury the deceased with their favorite items. You can also place items directly into the casket, where they can be near the deceased as he or she is entered into the ground.

Why Bury Personal Items?

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When we hear of a loved one passing, one of the first thoughts to spring up is whether or not to send sympathy flowers. For centuries, flowers have been a part of the funeral planning process, providing beauty and comfort to the family in what is obviously a high-stress situation.

However, with so many funeral flower providers and funeral etiquette rules to follow, it can be difficult knowing where to start. Here are a few guidelines for selecting the perfect arrangement and for making sure your flowers arrive on time for the funeral.

When to Send Funeral Flowers

Ideally, you should arrange for the purchase and delivery of funeral flowers as soon as possible—but not so early the flowers arrive before the funeral occurs. The best idea is to wait until the funeral home and date of service have been arranged. Most funeral flower companies can use that information to coordinate the delivery with the funeral director, ensuring that your gift arrives on time to be showcased at the memorial service.

Of course, there is no time limit on this sort of thing. If you live out of town or were away when the death announcement was originally made, you can arrange for a sympathy arrangement to be sent to the family well after the service. In fact, since they may be overwhelmed with flowers immediately after the funeral, this slight delay can provide comfort in the weeks following the death.

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