Home Funeral and Green Burial
Caring for our Own Dead with Safety, Simplicity and Meaning
Merilynne Rush, MSHP, RN, BSN, 1/18/19 The way we used to do it: laid out in front parlor A modern home funeral
Colin McRae Definition
.Bringing the body home .Caring for the body .“Laying out” .Visitation or wake .Funeral
The family and their community are the leaders. Dying in hospice care
First do nothing Caring for the Body
Close family/friends only . Wash . Dress . Lay out . Vigil Beginning the Mourning Invite others for a ritual or ceremony Decisions
Gathering . Visitation . Funeral . Memorial Disposition . Cremation . Burial (Embalming is not done) What is needed to care for the deceased at home? Plan ahead Find a funeral director who will honor your wishes Discuss with your family Know your options Learn how to care for the body Home Funeral Around the Country Shroud Burial Designing Your Own Casket Decorating the Casket Victoria
Nancy
Cost Comparison Average conventional funeral, with burial or cremation: $8,000- $10,000
For a home funeral, cost is the cremation or burial. Sharon
Frank
Understanding Law & Common Practice Home Funeral is legal in all Hospitals and nursing states homes have policies that impede the release of the In most states, the family body to the family can do everything themselves Most funeral homes will not allow public viewing without CT, IA, IL, IN, LA, MI, NE, NY embalming and casket and UT require funeral director involvement Common Questions Is it legal? How do you care for the body? Is it distressing? What if I already made Can you get diseases “ ” from a dead body? arrangements? Is there an odor? How is it different if someone dies suddenly or not at home? Designating a funeral representative Home Funeral-Special Circumstances
Use caution: . Open sores/broken skin . TB . HIV/AIDS . MRSA . Obesity/edema . Strong odor from cancer treatment or tumors Special Circumstances (cont.)
. Family issues . Autopsy . Donation . Sudden death . Trauma . Septicemia . CJD . Gangrene . Tissue gas For More Information… How Can I Help You?
. End-of-Life Doula Education . Advance Care Planning . Death Café . Home Funeral & Green Burial Consultation
[email protected] Green Burial No cement vault No embalming Biodegradable
A Family Cemetery Environmental Effects of Modern Cemeteries
A 10-acre swatch of cemetery ground
. Concrete . Wood . Steel . Formalin . Pesticide . Herbicide
Mark Harris, Grave Matters Green Cemeteries . Non-profit nature preserve . Wildlife habitat . Watershed restoration . Walking trails . Forest . Native prairie meadow
Foxfield Preserve, Wilmot, OH Diocese of Kansas Greensprings Natural Cemetery, Newfield, NY The Preserve at All Saints Cemetery, Waterford, MI Marble Park Cemetery, Milan
Marble Park, Milan, MI
Green Burial in Michigan 1. Forest Lawn, Dexter 2. Oak Grove, Chelsea 3. Marble Park, Milan 4. The Preserve at All Saints, Waterford 5. Hebrew Memorial Gardens, Oak Park 6. Mount Carmel, Wyandotte 7. Ridgeview Memorial Gardens, Grandville 8. Peninsula Township, Traverse City 9. Chassell Township, Houghton 10. Forest Hill, Houghton Why people choose Green Burial
1. Minimal environmental impact 2. Tradition 3. Cost 4. Spiritual or religious reasons 5. Do-it-yourself ethic A Home Funeral & Burial In Michigan
Creating a Family Cemetery
.< 1 acre, outside city limits .Family only .In perpetuity .Hire a lawyer .Survey and perc test .File deed with county Colin McCrae