HOME FUNERALS AND TAKING DEATH BACK

DYING AT HOME

In what may seem as a surreal and cathartic experience, Home Funerals have been on the upswing and becoming more and more popular as other considerations such as the economy become a factor. For about the price of a $250 pine coffin & and the cost of a death midwife, families can not only bypass the $6000 average cost of a funeral and related costs while taking away the process of dying from professionals, but they can make the burial of a loved one, a more intimate process right in the privacy of their home. In economic tough times many families have now opted for this alternative and have actually found it to be a life changing experience. Some consider the practice to be simply taking back a humane experience away from the experts. Far too many people have emerged from their fog of grief to find themselves drained by an expensive funeral which, in the raw emotion immediately following the death of a loved one, they agreed to without thought of long-term consequences. This practice may be a precursor to what’s to come as more Seniors learn about the After Life provisions included in the Americans Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009

HOW IS THIS DONE

The families that have chosen to use Home Funerals to bury their loved ones, are only in need of a home and a backyard. At the exact moment of death, the loved one’s body is usually washed and bathed, dressed in his favorite attire and then laid on a bed inside the house where family members can pay their last respects in the privacy of their home and away from strangers and intruders who would normally impede on the family’s privacy. The day after, the body is placed inside a pine coffin and usually taken out to their backyard and laid to rest. Families are typically required to obtain the death certificate and a burial transit permit so the body can be moved from a hospital to a cemetery, or, more typically, a crematory for those choosing for that option. In six of the fifty states, laws require that a funeral director handle human remains at some point in the process. In the 44 other states and the District of Columbia, loved ones can be responsible for the body themselves

THIS MAY NOT BE FOR EVERYONE

Burying our dead is still a very personal and religious experience and not everyone approves of the practice. Some states with the support of the Funeral Industry have hinted at restricting the practice of home funerals and considered requiring death midwives to be licensed. Currently, no states enforce these restrictions. Other considerations are handling of the body. After-death care is essential and must be done in a timely manner. If you don’t have the stomach to apply the dry-ice underneath the body to keep it cool, tie the jaw shut so it won’t open,dig the hole and make the headstone, this may not be for you.

If you insist on going thru the process, there are over 45 organizations that will help you thru it. In 2002 there were only 2 such organizations. The latest family to consider a Home funeral is the Jackson family who were considering using The Neverland Ranch as Michael JacksonMichael Jackson’s last resting place. Orthodox Jews have engaged in home funerals for years and under Jewish law, a person must remain with the body at all times.Hindus also bathe and dress the bodies of their loved ones after death.For many of these cultural groups, it is a way to provide & ensure dignity in dying. We as a society have always celebrated the birth a newborn with our camcorders, cameras and journals but have for the most part shyed away from the other end of the spectrum. In a way, these Home Funerals may bring some of that celebration of a person’s time on this earth, instead of rushing out of the Funeral Parlor.

POTENTIAL PITFALLS

Of course, with every well intentioned idea, there will always be unintended or unforeseen consequences. The fact that the majority of these Home Funerals will take place in the person’s backyard, may mean that somewhere down the road, they may be exposed to the possibility of backhoes digging out the dirt to put in that new pool. Unearthing these bodies may cause some angst to the new homeowner as well as the families of these deceased. If you happen to live in an apartment this may not meet your needs either.

Other questions to consider may be how to handle the deceased body if it had a serious medical condition or was involved in a serious accident suffering disfiguring injuries. How do you preserve the body until burial? What may happen if heavy flooding is a concern?

It is obviously necessary to do your homework and research before hastily undertaking this endeavor.

Next stop,Greener Ways to the Great Beyond.