Earlier this year, a close friend of mine passed away. This sweet woman was incredibly unique. Besides adoring vintage clothing, she always had extremely short hair. After her death, her son wanted to plan a funeral service with her unique style in mind. So, he immediately started working with the helpful staff at a respected funeral home in our hometown. After relaying his desires to the professional employees at the funeral home, my friend’s son decided to omit a viewing on the night before the funeral. Instead, he had the funeral home staff bring his mother’s body to the church two hours before the funeral service. He also gave anyone who wanted to speak at the funeral service an opportunity. On this blog, I hope you will discover the wonderful ways the staff at a funeral home can help you plan a unique funeral for a loved one.
Cremation, as a body disposal method, has existed since time immemorial. Today, more people are shifting to cremation due to the unique benefits. Such benefits include affordability, convenience, and environmental sustainability. Usually, cremation is a personal wish or the desire of the family.
In a cremation service, the body is exposed to very high temperatures and turned into ashes. The cremated ashes are then put in an urn and handed to the family. Unfortunately, that is all most people know about cremation. This post offers detailed insights into a direct cremation process.
Body Identification and Authorization
The cremation process begins with proper identification. The identification procedure varies across states and funeral homes. However, the standard procedure involves a family member identifying the body to confirm identity before tagging the body. Then, the funeral home seeks authority to dispose of the body. Ordinarily, the funeral home must have a death certificate and an authorization authority from the state. Also, a family member must complete the paperwork providing the funeral home with the service authority.
Body Preparation
There are two stages of body preparation, namely for viewing and cremation. Body viewing preparations involve cleaning, dressing, and doing cosmetic work. Typically, the body will not undergo embalming unless there will be an open casket viewing process.
Next, the body is prepared for cremation. This step involves removing all jewelry and any item that the family members wish to keep. Importantly, all medical devices with battery devices are also removed to prevent chemical reactions during cremation.
The body is then placed in a cremation casket or container. Usually, the funeral home provides a simple cardboard box to hold the body. Ordinarily, the container should be strong enough to keep the body and be flammable.
Cremation
The body is usually placed in a crematory chamber or retort. In essence, a retort is an industrial furnace with enough space to hold the body. Most crematoriums have a brick lining that can withstand high temperatures. Notably, a modern crematory is automated and environmentally friendly. Usually, the cremation process takes one and a half hours to two hours, based on the type of furnace and body size. Then, a magnet helps remove any pieces of metals from the remains. All that remains after cremation is pieces of bones, which upon grinding, becomes ashes.
Post-Cremation
The compressed and crushed ashes are put into a plastic bag. Then, the bag is placed in a temporary container or urn provided by the family. Finally, the funeral home hands over the urn to the family members. Subsequently, the family may decide to keep the urn or dispose of the ashes per the deceased person's wishes.
Cremation is a dignified alternative to burial services. Notably, one has the option of direct cremation or cremation with a funeral service. Ultimately, understanding cremation steps demystifies the process and eases decision-making.
Share23 June 2021
