Cremation Services | Cremation Solutions

How Much Does Cremation Cost

Cremation Service is Catching On — Do You Want Fries With That?

With half of the population now choosing cremation over traditional burial, it is important to know some important facts about this valuable service provided by funeral directors. A common question is how much does cremation cost? It seems like such a simple question that should have a straightforward answer. But, most people have no idea what actually is involved in cremation. If you consider all the factors that affect the price of cremation, you would understand that the answer to that question is not that cut and dry. Consumers should really think about the kind of funeral or gathering they want and if they want to spend time with the deceased either privately or publicly. Let’s consider some of the factors that will affect the cost of cremation.

Who You Gonna Call

Funeral Homes – Mortuaries – Cremation Societies – Crematories – Cremation Brokers

Don’t wait till the death has occurred to try and figure out which professionals you will hire to assist with funeral and cremation arrangements. Who you call might depend on what kind of services your families needs. Your local funeral home is always a good place to start. Many funeral homes also own their own crematory and more important they are trained to explain the many options available when it comes to cremation. Understand that when you ask a funeral director “How much for cremation” He or she will need more information to understand what and if you know what you want. They are not trying to Up-Sell you they just need to better understand the unique needs of your family and what you expectations are. Cremation is just a final disposition like burial is a final disposition. You wouldn’t expect an answer to “How much for a funeral” They might give you a price range but ultimately YOU will has to make some decisions and pick some options to determine a realistic price quote. It’s okay to negotiate! I recently was helping a friend choose a professional. They liked the people they met at the local funeral and received a price quote for a direct cremation for $2850.00 we told them about a cremation Society that was 30 miles away that would do it for $1500.00 and the local funeral matched the price! Beware of Google search results that often have online discounters disguised as local cremation clubs or societies. These companies are usually just cremation brokers that do not own any facilities anywhere and simply connect you with real professionals that you could have dealt with directly! Many funeral homes have their own so called “Cremation Societies” Sort of an alter ego that funeral homes have online to compete on price. For direct cremation these can be the best option. I worked at Hanson Walbridge funeral home in Bennington Vermont. If someone called the funeral homes phone number they would get a price quote from the funeral home BUT if you called their Cremation Society of Vermont phone number (Same phone different button) same people same service much cheaper price!

Transportation Hearse For Funerals

The cost of cremation is affected by the transportation costs. You have to consider the transporting of the body from where the person passed away to the funeral home or the crematory of choice. Is the funeral going to be held at a church or other location besides the funeral home or will you prefer a memorial type gathering following the cremation. Will the ashes need to be mailed somewhere? All of this affects the price.

Storage of the Body

A body isn’t always cremated upon arrival to the crematory. The reasons for this can vary. Some states have laws stating a certain amount of time must pass before a body can be cremated and a funeral home may charge for refrigeration (by the day). Families may delay making final decisions or need to wait for someone to arrive from out of town that wants a chance to say their final goodbyes. If the death involves a criminal investigation extra storage fees may be applied. All of this affects the price.

Cremation

The cost of the actual cremation stays relatively consistent.This is the actual charge from the crematory and crematories generally do not deal directly with the public. Some factors, such as an unusually large person, might increase the cost of the cremation.

Disposition of The Ashes

How the family chooses to handle the cremated remains. The family may choose to bury the remains in a burial plot. In this situation, the cost of cremation is fairly expensive because burial plots can be expensive. A headstone marker will also likely be purchased if a burial of the cremated remains is selected. Another option that the family might choose is to store the remains in a cremation urn or use special urns for scattering ashes called scattering urns. Urns can cost as little as $100 or more than $1,000. People may choose to have the ashes become part of a piece of memorial art or cremation jewelry or even shot out of a hand held cannon called “The Loved One Launcher”! All of this affects the price.

Based on the factors discussed above, it is easy to see why cremation costs can vary greatly. There is no straight answer as to how much a cremation will cost. An experienced funeral director will discuss all the options that come with cremation and help the family decide what is best for them and their loved one. “Direct Cremation” is a term used for the most very basic of cremation services that simply gets the job done and does not involve any special arrangements for viewings, funeral memorials or burials. If you ask about the cost of a basic direct cremation you should get an instant price quote! And depending on who you call prices vary wildly for $595.00 to $4,595.00 with about $1500.00 – $2500.00 being about average. It should include all of the arrangements and permits for getting legally cremated in a cardboard box and receiving the ashes in a temporary cardboard or plastic container. For any special request beyond these basics, expect to pay more. If a funeral director quotes a price for direct cremation that does not include the cost of the actual cremation by a third party crematory or transportation……RUN! Because a direct cremation quote should include everything to get the job done and to not is a deceptive practice know as price baiting or the old bait and switch!

Freedom

Cremation offers freedom to choose how to handle the service. There can be a very simple service where family and friends gather to fondly remember their loved one. Perhaps the family wants to remember the deceased in a big way and elect to have an elaborate, fancy service. When the time comes, the family has the freedom to keep the ashes in a beautiful urn or to scatter the ashes. They may decide that burying the ashes would be beneficial so that all of the loved ones have a place to visit and remember the deceased. They can choose to bury the ashes in a cemetery or a private lot. The possibilities of how to handle the cremation ashes are endless.

Time

Cremation Time With a traditional funeral service, time is of the essence. Because the service must take place within a matter of days, plans may be made in haste, adding to the stress of an already grieving family. But, with cremation, there is no urgency to bury the body. The family will have ample time to plan a lovely memorial service to remember their loved one. Maybe the service needs to be delayed due to out of town family members and friends. On a personal note from my 30 years of experience there is such thing as waiting too long to conduct a memorial service. The sooner the better! Funerals are for the living and serve as the best way to let friends and family support each other in their grief so they can have a healthy transition from the loss. People sometimes wait months, for example waiting until spring when inconvenienced by a winter death. Think days and weeks but don’t stretch it out for more then a month, or it defeats the whole purpose.

Is Embalming Needed?

NO! But if you request a public viewing almost all funeral homes will require embalming. If you want a short private family viewing in the immediate days following a death embalming should not be required but a simple clean up and sanitization type of preparation should be done to make a nice final presentation to say the goodbyes. Most people don’t want to think about the embalming process and may look to alternatives such as cremation just to avoid this.

Instead of having a formal funeral service with a viewing, the family can choose to have a simple memorial service. with photographs of their loved one. It can be a time to share stories and celebrate their loved one’s life and how they lived. A cremation can be as simple or elaborate as the family wishes. Perhaps the deceased was a simple person who led a simple life. Therefore, the family may want to choose cremation and have a simple service to reflect their loved one’s life.

Cremation Planning Is cremation really what you want? This question can cause a lot of stress and they may wonder if they are making the right decision. This really should have been answered before the death occurred but if you are still not sure then consider all of the options. This is when a funeral director will step in and assist in answering questions and helping a family decide if cremation is right for their deceased loved one. While death remains an uncomfortable subject for most people, loved ones can be comforted in knowing that they are making the right choices when it comes to handling their loved one’s remains. A funeral director knows that family members are at their most vulnerable when making the funeral arrangements. With this in mind, he or she will explain all of the options available so that the family can make informed decisions.

Speaking of Death Prepare to Die!

Talking about death and what kind of arrangements need to be made at the end of your life isn’t an easy conversation for anyone. Many people don’t know how to discuss their wishes with their family because it makes them uncomfortable, and then when the individual becomes medically unable to make his or her wishes known, family members are left to handle a number of difficult decisions. As a result, this makes those choices twice as hard. If you’re looking for ways to have this discussion with your family in way that will open up the conversation in a positive manner, then The Conversation Project can help. This project is committed to helping individuals talk about the end of their lives and their wishes concerning hospice, medical care, and other end-of-life decisions so that their families aren’t left to make the choices on their own and so that they can celebrate the life of their loved one instead of feeling overwhelmed. A well planned funeral is one of the greatest gifts you can give.

About The Conversation Project

The Conversation Project is the brainchild of Ellen Goodman, whose own experience with caring for her mother at the end of her life and the challenges she faced spurred her into discussing the subject with friends, colleagues, and even doctors and clergymen. Goodman found herself overwhelmed with medical decisions when her mother could no longer make them, and after talking with others who’d had the same experience, Goodman and those like her launched The Conversation Project in 2010. The goal of the Conversation Project is to help people talk to their families about the end of their lives, the decisions they need to make concerning the care they receive, and how to honor those wishes so that they can be carried out when the time comes. So many people are aware of what they want to happen as they get older and are no longer to care for or make decisions for themselves, but sadly, they never discuss it with those closest to them because the subjects of death and dying are so difficult to broach. It is the ultimate goal of The Conversation Project to shed light on this issue and help people see that the best time to discuss these topics is before people become unable to, not after.

Presently, The Conversation Project works with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). The project began to work with IHI, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to better health care for individuals all over the world, in 2011. Along with a number of other committed professionals, The Conversation Project has already helped a number of people make this difficult subject easier for their loved ones, has brought them closer together through these conversations, and has allowed people to make arrangements for their aging loved ones so that the end of their lives can be peaceful instead of fraught with uncertainty and pain.

Why Are These Conversations Necessary?

While some individuals put funeral directives in their wills, very few people include directives concerning their desires if they should become unable to make decisions for themselves, and this is a conversation that everyone needs to have before it happens, not after. While this may make you and other people uncomfortable, consider what might happen if you should develop dementia, Alzheimer’s, or have a stroke that rendered you unable to make medical decisions for yourself. This would leave your children or your spouse to make these choices in your place, which may make them uneasy, guilty, or frightened about what you may have wanted. By having these talks early on, you can make your wishes known and what they need to do in the event of medical emergencies and the events that may follow. While many people talk about writing down about the type of care they want at the end of their lives, few people actually follow through. These conversations are more than just talking about what you want to happen after a medical emergency or if you want medical intervention: it’s a conversation about long-term care, your happiness as you reach the end of your life, and communicating your desires about funeral arrangements as well.

These Talks Can Ease Your Family’s Grief and Allow Them to Celebrate Your Life

While it’s difficult to discuss what kind of decisions should be made for the end of your life, it’s even harder to talk about your wishes concerning your funeral, but The Conversation Project can help you learn about how to approach the topic with your loved ones. It could be that you have even tried to have this discussion with your family in the past but they were unwilling to talk about it. This is a common reaction, as talking about the death of a loved one with that person makes many people feel awkward and uncomfortable. However, there are many advantages to starting these conversations, especially if you and your children or spouse have any disagreements about your wishes. When these conversations happen and your wishes are made clear, your family members can celebrate your life in a more meaningful way instead of feeling guilty that they made the wrong choices. The Conversation Project can help you talk to your loved ones about how understanding your wishes can benefit them as well.

How The Conversation Project May Benefit Survivors

When people become incapacitated at the end of their life and their loved ones are forced to make decisions for them, such as whether they wished to pass away at home, wanted full-time medical care, or what type of medical procedures they wanted in order to prolong their lives, when that person dies, those who live on are usually not only grieving but burdened with grief as well. Some of the questions they often ask themselves after their loved one has died are:

Did I carry out all of my loved one’s wishes while they were alive?
Were they happy at the end of their life?
Were they unhappy and simply couldn’t communicate it?
Was there anything I could have done to make their passing easier?
Are the final arrangements I made what they really wanted?

All of these questions can affect people emotionally and mentally long after their loved ones have passed, affecting their lives on a day-to-day basis and adding to the grief that they are already feeling over their loss. This is another way that The Conversation Project can help; by teaching you how to approach the topic of your final wishes with your family and getting together to put it in writing, those who live on will never have to wonder about whether the decisions they made on your behalf were the right ones.

Vermont Cremation Services — Let Your Wishes Be Known

Talking about what you want the most when it comes to your final arrangements will also help those who are left behind focus on carrying out those wishes with dignity instead of having to agonize over every choice they make because you never discussed them. Burial, cremation, and the location of the final interment or placement can be carried out without your family members squabbling over what they think you would have wanted.

Pass on Your Beliefs and Goals

Your family can’t carry out your end-of-life goals and wishes if they are not made aware of them. By using The Conversation Project’s Starter Kit, you can let your family know that discussing your wishes and how you want to live at the end of your life isn’t really such a frightening thing. In fact, it may ease their minds because in many cases, those with elderly parents are just as worried about these issues but don’t know how to discuss them either. By using the starter kit together, you and your family can get the conversation going about how you’d like to live out your final days, what kind of medical care you’d approve of if you were able to, and even where you’d like to be laid to rest and how. By talking these issues out beforehand, you might even discover that your loved ones are curious about your beliefs and why you have made these choices.

Make Your Wishes Known Today

Talking about how you’d like to live out your final days is never an easy conversation for anyone to have, but with The Conversation Project, you can open up a frank discussion about decisions that will have a great deal of impact on your life and the lives of your loved ones as you approach the end of your life. Weather you prefer cremation services or burial. urns or caskets, clergy or a celebrant, let your wishes be known. Having this talk today with those who are going to be making these decisions will not only ease any feelings of guilt or fear they might feel later on, but it will also give them peace of mind when they carry out those wishes. If you would like to learn more about how The Conversation Project can help you, log onto theconversationproject.org and download their free starter kit today or talk to your doctor about what’s most important to you when it comes to living your final years with dignity and happiness.

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Invisible Competition From The Internet Threatens All Funeral Homes

Invisible Force Steals Profits From Funeral Homes

Funeral homes deal with the dead, but there’s a even darker, more invisible force sneaking up on funeral homes. It erodes the profitability of the funeral homes with stark efficiency. Even though funeral homes serve a localized group of people doesn’t stop this force, because it’s everywhere. It’s the Internet. It’s used to find cremation services, funeral planning and find funeral products. Competition from the Internet can easily destroy funeral homes. More specifically, it’s your competition that uses search engine optimization in their funeral home websites and internet based wholesalers. The Internet is the address of your competition and they are right in the living rooms of your future families. Yes you can compete, but funeral home owners can stop their competition with the power of SEO.

Cremation Discounters — You May Have Never Heard of Them But Their Parked Out Front

The Invisible Force

The wholesale and retail Internet based companies are popping up all over the web. They use effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) on their sites to make their websites the first one funeral product or service seekers see. This ruins the average funeral home’s ability to obtain customers via the web. The Internet steals local customers by ranking higher in web search results then actual regional and local funeral homes. It is even more devastating to funeral home profitability. These optimized sites reel in your funeral homes potential customers and snatch them out of your grasp with professionally written SEO website copy that target your area.

Cremation Society — S.C.I Does a Good Job Competing Online

Effects On Your Business

The Internet is an gigantic, invisible force that snatches and steals your business’s future. You may already be feeling the effects of the invisible competition from the Internet. Perhaps, fewer individuals are buying your urns, coffins, and printed commemorative pieces. You might not have a potential customer for days or even weeks. That’s the Internet sending your potential business to competing funeral homes with SEO websites that aren’t even in your area.

Decrease in Volume is a Decrease in Sales

Perhaps, the first time funeral home owners see when the Internet starts messing up their business is the decrease in product sales. Individuals seeking your services have already bought the urn or casket. They turn down printed commemorative bookmarks or something similar. They’re bringing their own and doing funerals themselves, with the help of online discounters. The Internet may even play apart in them finding another funeral home that associates with he online discounters to take their business elsewhere. Yes they are willing to drive long distances to reach into your neighborhood.

Decrease In Customers

The younger generation is increasingly using the Internet to find and vet funeral homes. They are also using it for funeral planning and finding cremation services. These leads to fewer customers overall for funeral home, getting the beat down by Internet based wholesale and competitors with stronger website SEO. These customers are all going to funeral homes and wholesalers that use SEO or websites with stronger SEO.

Lay Offs and Mounting Bills

The loss of sales and customers leads to laying off your staff and mounting bills. The results are horrible. Funeral home owners face the stress of a failing business and often it isn’t pretty and has nothing to do with how good a job the funeral home does. It may affect your family. The mounting bills become a burden; your business has operating costs, such as building rent, staff, electric and other monthly expenses.

Closing Your Doors

The funeral home cost more to maintain, then it’s bringing in financially. Because of the invisible competing from the Internet, the business fails. Even, funeral homes in operation for 30 years have and can succumb to the force of the Internet on businesses. That’s the end of a business, which may have been in a family for generations.

The Solution

There’s only one answer to the business killing forces of discount stores and funeral homes with SEO websites. That’s to become one of them. Piling on the SEO on your funeral home’s website will help. Hiring a professional Funeral Home SEO strategist is even better. They’ve got insider knowledge of how to use the Internet to your business’s advantage and you won’t have to spend precious time in researching SEO techniques.

Moreover, your competition certainly has a SEO strategist and your funeral home needs the same advantages as your competition. Otherwise, your funeral home can’t compete with the power of the Internet. The effects in the section above will certainly happen to your funeral home. It might be slow. It might be fast, but it means 10, 15 or even a 100 years of you and your family serving your community is down the drain.

It’s such a simple solution, but it’s the future of your business. You can hire a professional SEO strategist and listen to them. They’ll do the work of getting a business site, filling it with your products, services and business details and optimizing it for search engines. All you have to do is, watch as your funeral home regains its profitability as more funerals take place and more products are sold. SEO is your invisible super power. Or you can just let your invisible competition force you to hang a “Gone Out of Business” sign on the front door of your funeral home.

Consumer demands and social innovations are changing the funeral home business. Funeral Home SEO has the technology and know-how to assist you in developing your funeral home business to meet those evolving demands. Contact us today to discover how your funeral home business can benefit from our services and expertise. #877-365-9474 or info@cremationsolutuions.com and I will connect you with the experts!

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How Your Funeral Home Can Benefit From Local SEO

What Good is a Website if it Can't Be Found

If you’re involved in running a funeral home, you’ve probably already created a website. This is a step in the right direction, but there are other things that need to be done. If no one knows about your website because it does not rank in local search results then your website won’t be drawing in any business.

One of the best ways to ensure that your site gets found, in addition to publicizing the URL in print promotional materials, is to ensure that your site shows up in local searches. You’ll need to focus on local SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategies, like other entities that are doing business in a specific regional area. There are several steps involved in the process.

Register Your Site With Major Search Engines

Ensuring that your website is registered with major search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo is essential to your website SEO strategy. With Google, this is as simple as adding your URL to their database and verifying your listing by phone or postcard. You’ll also need a Google account to do this. Bing’s process is similar; you’ll have the option to add or claim your listing with the search engine, and then you’ll be required to verify your listing by phone or mail. You’ll also need a Windows Live ID to complete the process as well. The process is nearly the same through Yahoo, but you have the option to obtain a basic or enhanced listing with this search engine.

Make Sure Your Business Goes Social

You won’t want to ignore other methods of listing your funeral home business either. You may want to establish listings with Yellow Pages, YP.com, and City Search. You may want to add listings to social media sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn. These profiles can assist you in ensuring that your business has a better chance at obtaining higher rankings in search engines, because in many cases, these profiles will show up first in search engine results.

Get On The Map!

Get Listed With Local Sites

Don’t ignore regional portals when you’re listing our business. Many of these sites are run by various media institutions. Many local newspapers and news stations offer local businesses an opportunity to have a listing on these sites. Obtaining a listing on these sites can definitely increase your search engine rankings significantly.

Consistency is the Key

While you’re creating these listings for your funeral home you’re going to want to make sure that you maintain consistency in your listings. Your business should be listed under the same name each time. You don’t want to list your business as Your Business, LLC in one area and then have it listed as Your Business in another. Additionally, you’ll want to ensure that the same address and contacts are listed under each registration. This is critical in getting recognition from major search engines as a local business entity. Even slight variations can cause your efforts to fizzle and affect your rankings.

Perform Competitive Research on the Competition

When you are researching keywords for your website, you’ll need to look at other local businesses that rank highly with that keyword. Pay attention to the place that these businesses occupy in ranking. Search for these businesses by the names and addresses in the search bar of whichever site you’re previewing and find out what sites these businesses are listed at. This will let you know where your business needs to be listed at in order to get the highest possible rankings. One simple test is to just Google some terms relevant to your services and location to see how your website is ranking and see where you need to be. Type in Funeral Homes or Funeral Providers and the town and state you are located in. Also type Cremation Services or Cremation Providers and learn about where you rank for these key terms as well. For example type cremation services in Arlington Vermont and see where your website comes up. Ideally you want to be in the first top three of search results. If you not on page one your not going to attract much new business.

Review All Your Business Reviews

Assuming that you’ve got your site listed at various places, you’ll want to check out those listings regularly. Check out any reviews about your business. Find out if any of your clients have had frustrating experiences with your business. You’ll also want to find out if your clients have been pleased with your service. You can use this as a springboard for ensuring that your funeral and cremation services are the best in the area. You’ll also get more positive reviews with this type of effort. Additionally, it wouldn’t hurt to check out competing reviews for other businesses. Find out what these entities are doing right, and what customers believe could be better. This kind of insight will help you deliver better service, and positive reviews will obviously increase your rankings.

Audit Your Site’s Usability

This is extremely important. Before you waste time promoting your site, you need to make sure your site is easy to navigate. You’ll also want to ensure that the site looks appropriate in a variety of browsers. It won’t do your business any good to get a high ranking, if leads visit your site and leave because the site is poorly designed. Your visitors should see how to contact your easily. If you maintain guestbooks for clients, these applications should function properly. Don’t forget that mobile usage is increasing, you may want to invest in having a mobile website created so mobile users can navigate your site easily.

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What Funeral Arrangers Can Learn From Speed Dating!

speed1 — Forget it Bob, Direct cremation!

Comparing the day to day responsibilities of a funeral director with the process of speed dating is like matching apples and oranges. Speed dating is a pleasure activity to meet new people and consider potential mates while serving as a funeral director involves addressing families about the deaths of their loved ones, planning services and arranging burial or cremation plans. However, in peeling the layers away to reveal the framework of the basic human interactions utilized in each form of communication, the similarities begin to emerge. Even solely in the realm of learning to read individuals, adapt to a situation and draw conclusions in a short period of time, there is much a funeral director can learn from the process of speed dating.

Cremation Services — Yes I "would" like to know all about the options!

For most people arranging for a funeral is a strange or foreign concept. Speed dating is a strange concept in itself but one some people find necessary to meet prospective dates. In speed dating, an individual registers for a group event and is given generally ten minutes or less to interact with everyone of the opposite gender at the event. At the conclusion of the event, participants reveal which of their potential partners they are interested in to the moderator or organizer and, should both parties feel the same, individual contact information is provided. Although controversial in execution due to the limitations of a small time frame, speed dating can be an effective way of meeting a pool of eligible potential dates in a prearranged event in several hours, providing extensive networking and relationship possibilities.

Funeral directors have a radically different host of responsibilities. The job of a funeral director also requires brief meetings with the families of a deceased or the representative of a deceased’s estate to organize funeral services, calling hours, burial or cremation services and provide obituary services if needed. While speed dating is an elective process, individuals who enlist the services of a funeral director generally only do so out of necessity. The subject of death and the accompanying emotions can be overwhelming, adding a layer of complexity to the interactions funeral directors have with clients.
Although on the surface there seems to be little in the way of similarities, the skills speed daters need to develop to succeed actually quite similar to the skill set that makes for an effective funeral director. In speed dating, a participant only has several minutes to decide whether or not a possible partner is worth pursuing. Studies show that many decide in the first ten seconds if the person has a chance at a date. Hopefully they will give the funeral directors more the ten seconds, but the point is we need to make a positive impression very quickly. In this time, evaluating your partner, responding accordingly, interpreting emotions and reactions and understanding whether a future interaction could have potential are crucial to success. Without being able to read the other person’s body language, facial cues, vocal inflection and other subtle indicators of mood or reaction, a worthwhile opportunity could be easily overlooked. As important as learning how to comprehend another individual’s subtleties can be in speed dating, learning how to convey your own emotions can be just as important. In order to attract someone’s attention, expressing your interest and feelings of connectivity can be essential. Mastering speed dating can take a high level of social grace, intuition and comprehension of human emotion.

In the same ways that speed dating can require a more highly adapted approach to human interactions, working as a funeral director takes a similar set of abilities. The time a funeral director has with a client to ascertain needs, wants and emotions is not much longer than a speed dating encounter. In order to provide a high level of service in an industry that works with death and its impact on friends and loved ones, a funeral director must be able to read body language and act on social cues to make a difficult conversation as easy as possible. When it comes to handling a deceased’s affairs, many family members or representatives may not be able to fully understand the many options available to them. This is why it’s so important that the funeral director make an almost instant connection. Much in the same way a speed dater must read and react to a potential partner in order to establish a connection, a funeral director must read and react to a client to make sure all bases are covered in a satisfactory manner. If no connection is made the family is not likely to want to hear or care about the options and suggestions made by the funeral director.

In both fields, being able to properly convey your own emotions to another human being is essential. In speed dating, this serves to create a bond or connection while a funeral director must properly use empathy and kindness to demonstrate trustworthiness to a customer so that he or she knows the deceased will be in good hands. The trust between a funeral director and client is central to making sure the right services are offered and proper options made available. Funeral planning funeral, cremation services and obituaries can be very personal and emotional situations to handle and being able to create a quick connection is very important to establishing a working relationship. This same concept applies in bonding with a possible partner. Like in speed dating, a funeral director only has one chance and one small time window to make sure everything is right.

Serving as a funeral director can be a very emotional and stressful job due to its proximity to death. Funeral directors are called upon in painful times and only have a brief period with a customer to build trust, convey empathy and assure an individual his or her deceased loved one will be treated with dignity, care and respect. These skills are very similar to the quick connection one must build to succeed in speed dating. Reading body language, interpreting social cues and using emotion to build a rapport with an individual are skills frequently used in both areas. By treating each encounter with a client as a speed dating opportunity, funeral directors may be able to improve the levels on which they connect with their customers in order to instill trust and create a bond demonstrative of a high level of service.

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The Hottest Dr. Oz Weight-Loss Technique to Date: The Crème Diet (Parody)

End Those Cravings For Good!

Inspiration for the Crème Diet
Many of the weight-loss plans Dr. Oz has created have required intense concentration, will power and organization. With rules governing what people could and could not eat as well as when they were allowed to have meals, most dieters ended up incredibly confused and frustrated. They eventually found themselves weeping into a bag of potato chips and wondering where everything went wrong in their lives.

Dr. Oz heard about these massive failures and decided to concoct the ultimate fat-burning method. The challenge he gave himself was to get his viewers to lose 100% of their body fat without ever having to watch what they eat or submit to painfully rigorous athletic activities like petting a dog or peeling an orange.

Likewise, since he had only released two impeccable diet plans that morning and it was nearing noon, he was just about due to release another best diet in the history of all diets.

Getting the Word Out

After spending a full fifteen minutes in his laboratory, which consists of a solid gold elliptical machine and a Mr. Potato Head doll, he emerged shouting, “I’ve figured it out! I now know the way we can burn fat faster than ever before!” Dr. Oz grabbed the closest intern and dragged the lucky individual by the hair to the closest cremation service facility while the rest of Dr. Oz’s staff waiting in anticipation for their return.

When Dr. Oz and the intern came back to the facility, the staff of 43 unpaid interns was speechless. However, this time it was not because of Dr. Oz’s 462nd weight loss technique of removing the tongue; the interns were not even signing amongst each other. In his hands, Dr. Oz held the intern who had previously been close to 150 pounds but was now situated comfortably in a beautifully hand crafted cremation urn. A handful of interns began to weep quietly and Dr. Oz saw one sign the word “escape” to another intern with a sadly inquisitive yet promising expression glazed across her eyes.

Cremation-Ashes — The New You. Completely Fat Free!

Dr. Oz took his own interpretation of the meaning of this witnessed exchange and proclaimed, “Yes, intern, that is correct! You can finally escape the cumbersome diets of watching what you eat! The Cremation Diet was born! Interns signed that the word cremation was harsh and thought about a softer alternative. Quick, someone get the camera we need to share this news with the world immediately!”

Before the camera was even brought to his location, Dr. Oz was well into a discussion with himself about the incredible new fat-burning technique while tongueless interns swirled around him applying a heavy coat of makeup. With the cameras rolling and an estimated 125 million people watching live from the comfort of their ice cream stained couches, Dr. Oz described the numerous advantages of what he had by then deemed the crème diet.

Diet Catches On! — Diet is Really Catching On Fire!

How the Crème Diet Can Help You
The disadvantages of the crème diet —if any exist at all— are far overshadowed by the incredible amount of weight you are guaranteed to lose. You will be able to fit into the most beautiful designer cremation urns, which will leave friends and family speechless with jealousy. All those too-tight clothes from years past can join in your new weight-burning adventure, and even jewelry that you haven’t been able to wear since your high school days will fit better than ever before. After losing around 95% of your body weight, even a dehydrated Calista Flockhart will be jealous of how little you weigh.

The New Cremation Urn You — Your New Sleek Look

As if that wasn’t enough, research has also shown that those who have gone through the crème diet also face far less stress in their day-to-day lives and have also been found to scatter themselves and travel the world with their families more often than those who haven’t undertaken the life-changing cremation technique. Just imagine yourself in a new, gorgeously ornate cremation urn and leaving your presence on sandy beaches and all your favorite cities across the globe. Finally with the use of cremation jewelry your family and friends can have you with them wherever they go.

All this and more can be yours with Dr. Oz’s new, proven weight loss method. Now all you have to do is pick which designer cremation urn you want to be shown off in then sit back and enjoy your new 4 -6 pound lifestyle.
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Today is Tomb Sweeping Day in China And Burning Iphones and I Pads is “The Latest Tradition”!

In China, the traditional belief is that a person’s soul can only rest in peace if their body is buried underground in a coffin. Those that were cremated or opted for another method would have restless souls. However, as time moves on, more and more Chinese are finding this belief to be antiquated. The younger generation in particular believes that a soul may rest in peace regardless of what happens to their body, and that it’s more important to respect the wishes of the deceased than it is to follow tradition. This has lead to an increase in the amount of people who choose to have cremation services, followed by their friends and family scattering ashes.

Like In The USA Traditions Are Changing

Tomb Sweeping Day

Every April 4^th, the Chinese participate in the Qingming Festival, also known as Tomb Sweeping Day. During this festival, the relatives of the deceased gather around their grave and celebrate the life of the departed by leaving offerings of liquor, food, and burning fake money. The Chinese government made Tomb Sweeping Day an official holiday in 2008.

Tradition encourages them to remember their ancestors by laying out food at their grave sites, and burning paper replicas of daily necessities, such as clothes, money, cars, and houses. This year a few new items have been added to that list of necessities: the iPad and the iPhone.

IpaCremation Service — Dead Ancestors Catch Up With The Death Ap!

The tradition – which dates back thousands of years – dictates that the paper goods can be used by their ancestors in the afterlife, and the offerings have evolved to fit in with modern life. As such, paper replicas of iPhones and iPads – which are hugely popular in China – have become all the rage.

British broadsheet The Telegraph reports that paper replicas of Apple’s hugely popular iOS devices are selling “like hot cakes” in China, as millions of people prepare to honor their ancestors by burning paper goods that they believe can be used in the afterlife

Culture Shift

Cremations are becoming more popular in China as the culture changes. While traditionalists still hold to their desire for a more traditional coffin and burial, others see cremation as a way to help out future generations. Cemetery overcrowding is a growing concern, especially among the more developed areas near the coast. By holding cremation services and scattering ashes, the surviving relatives save money. Another benefit of cremation is that it’s much more environmentally friendly, as ashes are nothing more than minerals purified by the heat of fire. Regular caskets are left in the ground to erode over time and can potentially pose a health hazard if not cared for properly. Cremation has none of these risks.

The Chinese government encourages cremation in the form of subsidies offered to those who opt for cremation services. As cremation is an eco-friendly option, the government wants people – traditionalists and otherwise – to seriously consider it as a viable alternative to burial. While traditional burial has the potential to hurt others in the future, cremation leaves no impact.

The Decision

People are chooseing cremation over traditional burial for many reasons. The most common reason is that it’s the request the deceased left in their will – and no one wants to risk being haunted by an angry loved one. New trends like biodegradable urns make cremation more and more to the environmentally friendly, those concerned about the future of the planet like the low impact cremation has on the environment as compared to traditional burial. A third reason is the expense. By the time all is said and done in China, a traditional burial can cost a small fortune, leaving the surviving relatives with a hefty bill that they may struggle to pay off. Cremation costs much less, and in some places – like China – governments may even subsidize the cost of the both the urn and the cremation services.

New Traditions

Scattering Ceremony

A scattering ceremony has a lot in common with a traditional burial, but a lot of differences as well. As with a traditional funeral, loved ones will gather at a central location and share their memories of the deceased. A priest may or may not be in attendance, depending on the beliefs of the family and the deceased.

A location is chosen early in the process. This place may be requested in the will of the deceased, or it may hold some significance in their life. For example, someone who spent their entire life on a farm may choose to have their ashes scattered over their wheat field. A golfer may opt to have their ashes spread at their favorite golf course. Note that in certain circumstances (like the golf course), a permit will be required to hold the scattering ceremony.

After the ceremony is conducted, the ashes are released. A few final words may be spoken, then those gathered watch as the ashes fly into the breeze. Unfortunately, for those not prepared, the process can be quite messy. That’s where a scattering urn comes in.

Scattering Urns

Traditionally, those wanting to spread the ashes of a deceased loved one were forced to carry the ashes in a plastic box or a bag not too different from a garbage bag with a twist tie. Naturally, this removed some of the beauty from what should be a beautiful process. A scattering urn isn’t designed just to hold ashes, but to help spread them as well. Scattering urns can be symbolic – an avid bird watcher could find themselves with an urn for scattering ashes that converts into a bird house. Some urns are biodegradable and can be set out to sea or buried in one of the deceased’s favorite spots.

Scattering Services

There was nothing the deceased liked more than waking up before the sun did then heading out for a long day of sailing on the ocean. In their will, they’ve requested that their ashes be spread over the rolling waves of the Pacific. Unfortunately, their loved ones don’t have access to a boat. That’s where a scattering service comes into play. A scattering service will help the loved ones fulfill the wishes of the dearly departed. If the family of the deceased doesn’t have the means to complete the scattering request, they can hire a scattering service.They can do anything from helping with the whole ceremony to hiring a small plane to spread the ashes over a forest while loved ones watch from the ground.

Tomb sweeping day remains popular in China as a way of respecting and honoring the dead. It is much like Memorial Day in the U.S.A. Cremation services followed by a scattering of ashes continues to grow both in China and the United States as it becomes an increasingly popular method of memorializing the deceased. Join The Author Jeff Staab On Google Plus

Thai Man Marries Dead Girlfriend

On January 4, 2012, an extraordinary Buddhist wedding ceremony transpired in Surin, Thailand. On that day 28-year-old Chadil Deffy, a television director also known as Deff Yingyuen, took his girlfriend of ten years, 29-year-old Sarinya Kamsook, also known as Anne, as his wife.

The bridegroom, clad in a black tuxedo complete with top hat and tails, was debonair and charming. The bride was a vision in a white satin strapless bridal gown featuring a miniskirt and ornamented with lace and pearls. Fishnet stockings embellished her legs, and in her hands, she held a red and white bridal bouquet.

The bride remained silent and did not object to the marriage. As the groom proclaimed his undying love for his bride, he slipped a diamond ring on her finger as a symbolic representation of his eternal love. This touching and endearing demonstration of everlasting love broadcasted on nationwide television in Thailand.

The unconventional issue concerning this romantic and charming marriage ceremony was not the bride’s unusual attire. Instead, it was the undeniable fact that the wedding ceremony had taken place posthumously and that the new bride was actually deceased at the time that the consolidated marriage/funeral service occurred. The groom purportedly betrothed her out of tremendous despair and remorse.

In a typical love scenario, the happy couple became acquainted with each other and fell in love a decade earlier at Eastern Asia University in Thailand. The couple had previously planned to get married, but had postponed the wedding repeatedly because of their hectic schedules. Yingyuen had been pre-occupied with completing his degree and Kamsook was focusing on her career.

Regrettably, destiny intervened. On January 3, 2012, the couple found themselves in an automobile accident that resulted in catastrophic injuries to Anne. She was then rushed to an overcrowded emergency room of a nearby hospital. Rather than sending her to an alternative hospital that would be able to treat her injuries immediately, the workers reportedly waited six hours to attend to her, during which time she succumbed to her injuries and perished.

The matter at hand is whether the groom was a truly a grieving sweetheart, or rather an opportunist searching for a claim to fame. The bridegroom who had the ceremony videotaped also uploaded it to the social networking website Facebook, where he entitled the video, Corpse Bride. Subsequently, he published the video to YouTube where it ultimately proceeded to go viral.

Despite the fact that it’s apparent that he regretted that he had not married the woman he dearly loved while she was still living, his ulterior motives for videotaping the ceremony remain ambiguous. Tremendous grief can make people do abnormal things, but to use a publicity stunt to benefit from the demise of a loved one is excessive.

Regardless of the indisputable fact that he kept his commitment to his bride, he would potentially have been better thought of if this had been a private display rather than a televised event. Irrespective of his motives, from this fiasco you will discover lessons that we all can gain knowledge from. Our lives are way too short, and we should never delay until tomorrow what we could do today. Tomorrow could be too late, as this young man has learned all too well.

Kamsook’s burial occurred immediately following the ceremony and students carefully placed death wreaths throughout the grounds of the university that the couple attended in honor of the deceased bride. On the upside, a couple of things relating to this union are certain. The bride and groom will never argue, and if things don’t work out, the groom won’t be required to hand over half of his possessions.

This particular wedding is a perfect illustration of why funeral planning is so crucial. The bride undoubtedly would not have desired to have her deceased body exhibited for the entire world. However, if your loved ones don’t know what you want, despair and grieving can lead to unconventional funeral arrangements.

Many people these days are opting for cremation over burial. Cremation services offer family members additional time to organize the funeral service or memorial service. With additional time to prepare you can notify more family members, which frequently generates a significantly better turnout for the funeral.

Cremation urns for ashes are an excellent way to keep your loved one with you as you safeguard their earthly remains. In exactly the same way, cremation jewelry for ashes, which is either filled with the ashes or made from the ashes of your loved one, is an excellent solution for keeping your loved one in close proximity to your heart.
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Colorado Prison First to Have Hospice

When a guilty verdict is reached and someone is sent to prison, the outside world sometimes forgets them. This is especially true for those sentences that will last far beyond the life expectancy of the prisoner. Many will succumb to sickness and die either in their prison bunks or the prison hospital before their sentence ends. If they’re estranged from their families, they end up dying alone, with no one to comfort them or talk to them during their last days.

Colorado Territorial Correction Facilities is the first prison to have a hospice. It’s operated by inmates, who are trained in the basics and must help care for dying patients. For the caregivers, it can be a chance to find the redemption they’ve been seeking. For the prisoners, it’s a chance to have a meaningful connection in their last few days of life. It also helps lower costs, though in this case, the idea of a humane death supersedes cost cutting measures.

Hospice focuses on easing pain instead of trying for an impossible cure. When a person is dying due to disease or injury, the traditional response is to pump them full of medications or resort to surgery in order to try and extend their life, even if only for a few days. Hospice accepts death and focuses on the patient’s comfort by helping them prepare for the end stages of their life instead of trying to extend it a few more days.

The reality of death for most people is that they will live their last moments on a hospital bed while under the influence of various medications and attached to machines. Even if there is only a tiny chance that the doctors can fix the patient, they will try. The downside to this approach is that some medications (such as chemotherapy for cancer) can cause the patient tremendous amounts of pain. Unfortunately, going through this pain is no guarantee that the individual will survive. Sometimes, it’s the family members that are encouraging the patient to keep trying, inadvertently causing the patient more pain than necessary in search of an unlikely solution.

A hospice death is accepted as the natural end point to life. When someone is old or has a minimal chance to live, they may choose to accept death rather than fighting it. The hospice then focuses on comforting the patient and minimizing their pain through their last few days. With the knowledge that they don’t have a lot of time left, the patient can spend their last days focusing on what’s really important to them.

Hospice is seen as a graceful acceptance of mortality. The patient gets the opportunity to do things they couldn’t if they were stuck in a hospital bed. As a hospice focuses on comfort instead of a cure, the patient gets the opportunity to enjoy their last few days, whether that means brief walks outside, watching their favorite movies, or quiet time with family. They can make sure their will is prepared and share last words with those close to them rather than being hooked up to hospital machinery. Hospice will also have a caregiver that is able to attend to their needs when friends or family are unable to do so.

Hospice isn’t for everyone. Those who are young or have a good chance at survival shouldn’t select comfort over medical attention. A hospice is for those who’ve come to terms with their life, and recognize that since the odds are slim that they’ll survive, they should spend their last days or weeks living how they want to live, with those close to them, instead of being confined to a hospital bed away from their loved ones. They’re choosing to spend their last days in a quiet, dignified manner rather than fighting for a few extra hours.

For friends and family of the patient, hospice lets them see their loved one in a positive light, enjoying their remaining time. The environment is much warmer than that of a sterile hospital, and with more personalized caregivers they can get easier answers to their questions. Hospice caregivers will often start the inevitable conversation regarding funeral plans. Many state prisons now promote simple cremation services. Many patients report feeling a blanket of acceptance as they move on from our world. Accepting death allows the family members a chance to prepare and accept the inevitable, and also ease into the grieving process.
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We Can All Learn Something From Irish Funerals

There is something to be said for an Irish funeral, which is often referred to as a wake. More commonly a celebration, as opposed to a time of mourning, this type of service allows family and friends to become further involved in the planning process.

Prior to the mid 1900’s these events turned into large celebrations partly because men were not otherwise allowed to congregate, for fear of planning rebellion against the British government.

Until 15 or so years ago, Irish funeral ceremonies always took place in the home. Today, many are held in a different location such as a garden or country club setting. Locale is typically based on something or someplace the departed enjoyed.

An old-fashioned Irish funeral was looked upon as a social event, which could last as long as three days. The premise was not to leave the decedent alone, during that time. The term “wake” was used due to the fact that family members stayed with the body at night, making sure its spirit didn’t come back to life and evil spirits didn’t try to claim it.

A window was opened as soon as the person died. The body was dressed in dark clothing or covered with a white shroud and placed on a bed or in a coffin. No embalming was necessary. Candles were placed above the decedent’s head and boots were placed at his or her feet, in effort to make the journey through purgatory easier. Out of respect, clocks were stopped and blankets were placed over mirrors.

There was and still is plenty of food and drink (usually Irish whiskey and Beer) at an Irish funeral. There is also music (bagpipes), dancing and games. When any type of card game is played, it is customary to deal an extra hand for the person whose life is being celebrated. Contests of strength sometimes occur as well.

“Keening,” the Irish term for a display of sorrow, is an old tradition that still takes place at some wakes. Professional mourners are hired to do things like wail, cry and even recite poetry.

A pipe of tobacco is passed around as a means to assist the spirit of the loved one on his heavenly journey. Each person who smokes the pipe is encouraged to share a bit of wit and wisdom with the crowd.

On the one month anniversary of the wake, a “month’s mind” is held in a church to again celebrate the life of the person who died. A yearly mass is held as well.

In modern day USA families are getting more involved in planning and participating more in caring for their own dead. Home funeral are more common than they were 20 years ago. Baby boomers are not wanting services on thousand year old impersonal ceremonies. Because many are now choosing cremation services there is the freedom of more time for families to plan a more detailed and personalized memorial gathering.

More American families are now choosing to work with a funeral celebrant, when it comes to the details of the actual funeral ceremony or service. A celebrant is extremely versed in all aspects of a funeral. This includes everything from funeral history to the funeral rituals of many cultures. He or she can perform tasks like writing the perfect eulogy, offering advice in ritual and customs that may suit the individual needs of each family. Unlike clergy, celebrants are more open to handling families with multiple cultures and religions that are found in much of society today.

Celebrants take the time it takes to get an in-depth look into the life of the person they are memorializing. This information, coupled with things like the rest of the family’s personal values and religious beliefs, tend to make it a much more meaningful funeral ceremonies. The funeral home staff can often recommend a local celebrant or you can contact the Celebrant Foundation and Institute to find a celebrant near you.

Unfortunately, a traditional funeral service doesn’t always pay an adequate tribute to a loved one. With the help of a celebrant, that is never the case. Opting for an end-of-life ceremony, as opposed to a standard funeral, allows family members and friends to remember by way of stories and objects which truly define the departed.

Irish Cremation Products — Irish Funeral Products from therishwake.com

Yes, there is a lot to be learned from Irish funerals. They are celebrations of life and love, meant to make the initial mourning process and the overall healing process a little easier.

To learn more about how to plan an Irish wake click here and visit My Sendoff.com

To see some products designed with the Irish in mind visit “The Irish Wake”.com
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