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Cremation - Same Game, Same Rules

9/14/2016

4 Comments

 
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Today, nearly fifty percent of Americans are opting for cremation.  In 1958 the percentage was more like twenty-eight percent.  We once were more likely to embalm and bury the body.  Now we are trending towards cremation. Cremation provides the family many more options and flexibility than the more “conventional” embalming. Because the industry has not offered consumers many options, the consumers now choose cremation -the option that is cost effective and offers more flexibility.  Things are shifting.  Even the Green Burial Council endorses cremation.  A shift has occurred, and it is not necessarily a good one. 
 
People and corporations that form the death care industry will most likely want to maintain their profits.  That is natural for business.  Everyone needs to put bread on the table.  No one should be shocked that with the shift of Americans seeking cremation we have a shift in pricing.  This is to be expected. Funeral Consumers Alliance recently released a report on cremation pricing in several parts of the US. According to the report funeral homes using a third party for cremation might price direct cremation one way and add on to the bill the fee the funeral home accrued from the third party for preforming the cremation. Make sure, if this is the way your family has decided to go, you ask about this possible pricing increase. 
 
Cremation has shown the industry that families are not interested in what has been seen as “conventional” funerals or burials.  We are an ever-changing society.  We have always been a society on the move, and that is as true today as it has ever been in the past.  Maybe with the shift from embalming, a more traditional and environmentally friendly burial option might also begin to change the landscape of the death care industry.  It took a long time for cremation to begin change to the industry.  Maybe natural burial will take as long.  I hope not.  I find it fascinating that cleaning and preparing the body naturally after death is still not easy to obtain for families who wish to have a simple funeral and burial. If this option is offered, often the funeral home will not “allow” an open casket, even though it is legal and science supports it. For those living in free states, they can opt out of dealing with the death care industry.  For the rest of us, we need to be aware of our rights, shop around and make the best choices we can for our family.


4 Comments
Iris Smith link
10/30/2022 11:54:18 pm

Thank you for stating that the industry has not provided many options to consumers; as a result, people have chosen cremation as a cost-effective and flexible option. My grandfather said he wanted to get ready for his cremation ceremony in advance. I will assist him in locating a cremation service provider to ensure that he receives a quality cremation at a reasonable price.

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Mia Evans link
11/16/2022 11:06:59 pm

It really helped when you said that we should ask about any possible price increase that we might get when opting for cremation interment. I will share this information with my family now that we plan to choose this option for our grandmother. She has recently passed due to her old age, and we want to honor her request to opt for that type of funeral process because of her personal beliefs.

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Henry Killingsworth link
11/28/2022 12:47:51 pm

Wow, it was interesting to me when you explained that fifty percent of Americans are opting for cremation these days. As far as I know, once someone has been cremated, their remains are generally placed inside a small urn. I would think that a small urn would be much more affordable for people that are wanting to have a small funeral.

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Millie Hue link
1/27/2023 01:33:52 am

I totally agree when you said that our society is always changing which is why there are families that are not interested in the conventional way of funerals and burials. Actually, our family wanted our grandmother to be cremated with the help of a funeral home that caters to kinds of services, because it was her request before she got into a coma. But we hope to still give her service our life together with families and friends who are really close to her before she gets cremated.

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    Caroline Vuyadinov


    I graduated from St. Vladamir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in Crestwood, New York with a Master of Divinity.  I trained as a chaplain following graduation and worked with a wide variety of people. 

    When I moved to Canada, I began work in a women's halfway house in Hamilton, Ontario which worked with women in conflict with the law on a federal level.  I became the program manager and  loved working alongside the women, creating their plans for their reintegration back to the community.  I also worked as a liaison with the parole board, parole officers and other community service providers.

    Upon my return to the United States, I worked in the Death Care Industry as a Family Service Counselor, which lead me to become a green burial advocate. I co-founded Midwest Green Burial Society with Juliann Salinas. I speak  to community groups and have developed practical seminars for a variety of audiences.  I have been interviewed on a national podcast and was featured on a WGN spot dealing with green burial. 

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