Technology for End-of-Life Planning via Digital Planning Podcast
In the latest episode of the Digital Planning Podcast, Jennifer Zegel, Ross Bruch and Justin Brown, speak with Rachel Zeldin, founder of Funerals360, an end-to-end #funeralplanning platform, to discuss the emerging death care industry in a digital age. Click below to listen to a fun and educational conversation about how technology has affected the funeral industry and ...
Continue ReadingA Brief History of Caskets
Caskets are a common purchase that many families make when planning a loved one’s burial. So where did caskets originate, and how did they become so popular? What is a Casket? A casket is an enclosed burial vessel for human remains. While the terms “coffin” and “casket” have sometimes been ...
Continue ReadingFunerals of the Future: Space Burials, Greener Cremations, and… Human Composting?
Nothing is impervious to change, including the way we bury and memorialize the dead. Factors such as our society’s increasing emphasis on sustainability and the rise of the digital age have led to significant changes in funerals, burials, and cremations. Here are some recent developments that could shape the trends ...
Continue ReadingWhat’s In Embalming Fluid?
Embalming is a common part of funerals throughout the United States today. However, many people don’t realize that embalming is not a requirement in most cases, and it is not widely practiced outside of North America. The decision to embalm is entirely up to the individual. For someone planning ...
Continue ReadingShould You Cremate or Bury Your Loved One?
When an unexpected death occurs, family members might have no idea what a decedent’s wishes are regarding a funeral and other related arrangements. One of the primary considerations a family must make in these situations is choosing between a cremation and burial. Here’s an overview of some of the most ...
Continue ReadingThe Fight for the Right to Be Cremated by Water
By Emily Atkin | June 14, 2018 for The New Republic "Aquamation," a greener form of body disposal, is gaining acceptance in America. But some powerful groups are fighting to stop it. Samantha Sieber’s grandfather had a traditional American burial. His body was embalmed, put in a metal casket, and laid ...
Continue ReadingDon't Burn Your Body When You're Dead: Dissolving Yourself Is Much More Eco-Friendly
Liquifying a body is cleaner and greener than traditional burials and cremation. By Robin Scher / AlterNet January 25, 2018, 8:30 PM GMT There are many ways to embark on the journey to the great beyond. One popular custom is the coffin burial. Or rather it was, until cemeteries began running out of ground space. And conventional burials ...
Continue ReadingNFDA Consumer Survey: Funeral Planning Not a Priority for Americans
The National Funeral Directors Association’s 2017 Consumer Awareness and Preferences Study Reveals Inconsistency in Funeral Planning Practices For the fifth consecutive year, the National Funeral Directors Association’s (NFDA) annual Consumer Awareness and Preferences Study indicates that consumers acknowledge the importance of preplanning their own funeral, but fail to do so in practice. This ...
Continue ReadingA Growing Movement Of ‘Death Doulas’ Is Rethinking How We Die
For end-of-life doulas, accompanying the dying is anything but morbid. By Antonia Blumberg for the Huffington Post Amy Levine has sat with many dying individuals in her capacity as a hospice social worker. She’s often felt the same, uncanny feeling as the moment of death approaches. “All I can tell ...
Continue ReadingWe’ve mastered weddings—but the funeral needs a lot of work
By Vanessa Quirk for Quartz April 4, 2017 The $20-billion-dollar death industry is ripe for disruption—and not of the zombie kind. A typical funeral service today is remarkably similar to one from 50 years ago. A funeral home will display the embalmed body, perhaps in an open casket, while a ...
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