CREMATION OPTIONS

Presently participation in NFDA’s for a life worth celebrating consumer education effort effectively utilize the packet of tools NFDA provides to its members, and many firms have achieved great results in gaining positive community awareness of their funeral home while educating the public about the value of funeral service.While NFDA members around the country work in their communities to garner positive media attention for their profession locally, NFDA continues its national strategy to improve the overall public image of funeral service.This strategy involves a series of proactive efforts during the next few months to reach the media and ultimately, consumers.One recent effort involved the distribution of a “multimedia news release” to print and broadcast reporters across the country.This new release, titled “Preplanning Can Bring Comfort to Families,” is similar to a standard news release but also includes audio and video.You can view the multimedia news release with the “newsroom” section of NFDA’s website, www.nfda.org, under “press releases & news.”News releases that contain audio and video, such as the one NFDA developed on the topic of funeral preplanning, enhance the story for the media outlets that receive it by giving reporters the opportunity to actually see and hear from the individuals quoted in the news release rather than merely reading their comments.NFDA’s multimedia news release features comments by two individuals who had positive preplanning experiences courtesy of NFDA member firms, as well as remarks by NFDA president R. Doggett Whittaker Jr., CFSP and NFDA CEO Christine Pepper CAE.

The Power of Public Opinion

One of the primary reasons we believe the story contained on the multimedia news release will interest reporters is because of the two consumer testimonials.Testimonials are one of the most effective tools used by public relations practitioners and provide immediate credibility to a news release or news story.A reporter is far more receptive to believing a story when a consumer extols your virtues rather than a company representative.The value of public opinion is not a new concept.In fact some public relations professionals point to Abraham Lincoln as a master of public influence.As Honest Abe once said: “With public sentiment nothing can fail: without it, nothing can succeed.”Hearing from a consumer makes the story more real and more interesting to a reporter.This is a valuable to keep in mind when working with your local media on funeral service stories.Your story will be of greater interest to the reporter if you provide the names of family members willing to speak on the topic about which the reporter is writing, and who (of course) will speak positively about your funeral home.It is not always easy to get permission from families to talk about the service you provide, but it is worth the investment of your time to develop a list of several families willing to oblige.Rather than randomly contacting families when you have served, a good way to start a testimonial file is to contact the families that sent you positive thank you notes or cards and ask if they are willing to share their positive story with a reporter.Of course, you should allow an appropriate amount of time to lapse following a funeral before making this request.While family testimonials can prove extremely valuable in building credibility for your funeral home (as well as the entire profession, ultimately), nothing is better than actually being credible.That means providing outstanding customer service and maintaining a high level of ethical standards, including adhering to the tenets of NFDA’s”code” of Professional Conduct.”You cannot buy that kind of credibility but it will go a long way with both your efforts locally and NFDA’s efforts nationally to boost the image of your profession.

If you or a family member have any further questions or concerns with respect to cremation, cremation services, cremation costs or a direct cremation please feel free to contact Cremation Options toll free 24 hours daily at 1-877-989-9090.

News Cremains, Cremation, cremation jewelry, Cremation Options, Cremation Remains, Cremation Services, cremation urn, funeral, funeral plans, funeral service

Every now and then I will receive a call from a member of the media who is hoping to develop a story related to selecting funeral service as a career, and why an individual might consider this profession.In the past couple of months, one reporter I talked with wrote a story about the funeral director shortage that may occur in the next decade or so because of the aging baby boomer population.The story hit the Miami Herald and the Associated Press and that set off a flurry of phone calls to NFDA from reporters across the country.The story even piqued the interest of CNN and NFDA treasurer Bob Biggins was interviewed on the topic.(As of this writing the interview has not aired.)As I talked with more and more reporters on this issue it occurred to me that there is a great positive media opportunity here for funeral directors around the country to tell the story of the great satisfaction they derive from their careers by serving families in their communities.Several members of the NFDA spokesperson team have had the opportunity to talk with the media on this topic and relate the positive aspects of the profession and to discuss how NFDA is working to solve the labor shortage challenge.

Overcoming Bad Press And Misconceptions

When reporting the story on the potential shortage, the media will not only identify the positives that funeral directors speak about the job but of course they will also relate the not-so-attractive aspects of the profession.The Miami Herald article for instance reads: “The funeral industry is bracing for a shortage of qualified funeral directors.That’s not surprising since the job has long hours and mediocre pay and can turn off potential candidates.”That kind of description does not exactly paint an attractive recruitment picture.In addition there is another article titled “Americans shun ten most underpaid jobs” that ran recently in several daily newspaper around the country.You can guess which profession was on that list-third from the bottom.(Number one on the list was restaurant dishwasher).NFDA was not contacted by the reporter who developed this story.Not surprising since he referred to directors as “funeral home attendants,” and I am not certain where he obtained the salary-range information.He lists an average salary of $19,200.I will definitely be having a conversation with him in the near future.

Proactive Recruitment Measures

NFDA is acutely aware that a viable workforce of funeral service practitioners is critical for the future of the profession. It is incumbent upon all of us to ensure that a variety of recruitment measures are put into place.NFDA is taking several proactive steps in dealing with the labor shortage issue.For instance, NFDA is part of a joint task force on workplace issues.The task force is composed of NFDA members, representatives of the American Board of Funeral Service education and the National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association.The mission of the task force is to ensure that there is a sufficient professional funeral service workforce in the future.

Helping You Spread The Word

NFDA is also offering a newly updated career day kit to its members for use in their communities to promote funeral service as a career.The kit is a great tool for funeral directors to use to become more active in their communities and participate in career day events at local high schools and community colleges.This kit includes a newly produced, high quality video that contains interviews of several NFDA funeral directors discussing the great satisfaction they derive from their profession.It also includes a powerpoint presentation and brochure-all the tools necessary for a funeral director to speak to young people about the rewarding experience funeral service provides as well as the education and training they will need.NFDA believes resolving this issue is critical.It is a complex one and no doubt some fundamental changes will have to take place in several areas of the profession before there are any dramatic changes in perception.In the meantime NFDA will continue to promote the profession through various means and our hope is that our funeral director members will continue to stress the positive aspects of their career choice to the media and to their communities.

If you or a family member have any further questions or concerns with respect to cremation, cremation services, cremation costs or a direct cremation please feel free to contact Cremation Options toll free 24 hours daily at 1-877-989-9090.

Cremation, News Cremains, Cremation, cremation jewelry, Cremation Options, Cremation Remains, Cremation Services, cremation urn, funeral, funeral plans, funeral service

In our blind study (subjects did not know who was doing the research), preneed decision makers from across the country most of whom are also funeral directors or funeral home owners were asked to select which of the following statements best describes how they feel about preneed insurance:

• Preneed is an unimportant and unnecessary part of the funeral service business.
• Preneed is an unimportant yet unavoidable part of the funeral service business
• Preneed is an important part of business that helps make this funeral home successful
• None of these statements apply.

An overwhelming 81 percent of the respondents chose that final sentence.While It is true that the study participants are preneed of them are also funeral directors and/or owners.Where, then, does the perceived chasm exist?According to the findings the divide most likely resides with the longer-tenured funeral service professionals.Those who have worked at least 30 years are significantly more likely to feel preneed is “unimportant but unavoidable” and those 60 and older are significantly less likely to believe preneed is an “important part of the funeral home’s success.”Preneed professionals and at-need funeral directors are both dedicated to making the worst day of a person’s life a little easier.With this common goal the key is working together to ensure this happens 100 percent of the time.

Potential For Preneed Growth

Would you believe your best prospects for increased preneed sales exist at your funeral home?Out national study revealed that on average just over half (54 percent) of prearranged funerals on file at funeral homes are funded.Furthermore on average fewer than half of the funded pre-arrangement involve preneed insurance.The net result: on average 25 percent of all prearranged funerals are funded through insurance.The big story here is not the percentage of advance funeral plans that are funded by means other than insurance.Rather it is the fact that while preneed managers search high and low for increased sales, the best “leads” exist in the funeral home’s files.We have long advocated “working your files” and the research proves it is an important part of your preneed marketing strategy.Preneed activity can increase simply by contacting families with unfunded (or under-funded) pre-arrangement.There are two main benefits to this activity:

1. Funding with insurance offers protection against inflation; and
2. A funded plan is a stronger tie to your firm than an unfunded plan.

Identifying consumers interested in advance funeral planning is a tall order and an activity that should continue with vigor.The research suggests that a substantial target group of pre-arranges exists to discuss funding options.The latest data published for the industry by Wirthlin indicates the likelihood for consumers to prearrange in the next five years is expected to increase compared to 1999 figures.While preneed activity can rise merely as a result of the entire pie growing in size it could grow more significantly by capturing consumers who have already prearranged but not funded an advance funeral plan.

If you or a family member have any further questions or concerns with respect to cremation, cremation services, cremation costs or a direct cremation please feel free to contact Cremation Options toll free 24 hours daily at 1-877-989-9090.

Cremation, News Cremains, Cremation, cremation jewelry, Cremation Options, Cremation Remains, Cremation Services, cremation urn, funeral, funeral plans, funeral service

Cremation Options has known that burial space is becoming scarce around the world.  In Durban, South Africa, burial space has become so limited that according to the South African Press Association, funeral experts at the 2001 Funerex  Conference in Durban  suggested burying the deceased vertically to conserve space.  In Athens, Greece burial space is at such a high premium that they must rent burial space.  Once the lease is up, the remains are exhumed and place in a $55-per -year vault provided by the cemetery, according to the Baltimore Sun.  In 1999, the BBC reported that London, England, faced such a burial space shortage that the city considered burying two or more caskets on top of one another in one plot.  The burial space quandary has contributed to the rising popularity of cremation, a process that frustrates many environmentalists because of the alleged potential of mercury from amalgam fillings polluting the atmosphere.  According to the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet, about 50 of the 69 crematories in Sweden do not meet today’s environmental requirements and must make major improvements in technology.  In addition some religions staunchly oppose cremation, which leaves burial as the only option of disposition for some cultures.  If a society cannot cremate a person due to religious beliefs and cannot bury that person because there is no more room, however, what options remain?  Twenty years ago, Susanne Wiigh-Masak a Swedish marine biologist, started brainstorming a different, more natural way to dispose of human remains.  “I thought of the three ways a body can decompose: rotting, burning or mulching,” says Wiigh-Masak.  “In Sweden, our priest say, ‘from soil you come, to soil you go.’  You have to imagine the first human beings on this planet.  There were only a few and when they died, they fell where they stood.  With the help of oxygen and other animals, their bodies eventually became soil-the mulching process.  I wanted to mimic the mulching process in which the body naturally becomes compost, but I wanted to do it in a dignified way that the person isn’t decomposing in public.”  Wiigh-Masak eventually developed a process called “promession,” which h involves freeze drying bodies and turning them into soil.  With this idea, she founded the company Promessa Organi c AB, in Nosund, Sweden.

The Process

Rather than cremating bodies at high temperatures in a crematorium, this new process flash -freezes bodies to .18 degrees Celsius before immersing them in liquid nitrogen, where temperatures reach a chilling -196 degrees Celsius in a “promatorium.”  When the bodies reach their frozen peak, they become very brittle.  Once this happens, the bodies are broken down by the vibration of sound waves at a specific amplitude into a fine organic powder, which only takes 60 seconds at most.  The powder is them warmed up to between 50 and 40 degrees Celsius and passed through a chamber where the remaining water is evaporated.  Next any surgical parts or mercury that were in the person’s body are separated from the organic powder via a magnetic metal separator.  Then the odorless powder which is now one-third of the original body weight is placed in a corn or potato starch casket and buried in a shallow grave (about 12 inches deep).  In six months, the casket and its contents turn into “compost” that can be used to nourish a tree or any other foliage.

The Payoff

Promession appeals to those who believe life is cyclical and who wish to adopt a more natural approach to disposition, as well as cyclical and who wish to adopt a more natural approach to disposition, as well as cultures that frown upon cremation but fact a shortage of burial space.  In order for this process to work as intended and gain acceptance at the same time, however Wiigh-Masak notes the necessity of three things:  the remains need to be smaller and more water soluble, they must maintain their organic form for nutritional sake, and they must be unrecognizable as human remains for the sake of human acceptance.  Promession is not only a way to conserve burial space, but Wiigh-Masak is also convinced that it will help balance earth’s ecosystem.  “Our environment is like the economy,” she says.  “If you take something out of the soil, you should be able to put something back; otherwise it will be an unbalanced situation.  There are six-billion people in the world today and if everybody grows from the soil and gives nothing back, something is going to be very wrong.”

The Potential

Promession is still in its infancy.  The town of Joenkoeping, 204 miles southwest of Stockholm, Sweden will soon begin operating the first freeze-drying facility.  Promessa has since obtained patients for this process in 55 different countries, including some as far away as South Africa, and might expand to Scandinavia, Britain, Germany and the Netherlands next.  Moreover, the demand for promession has already taken hold in other countries.  Wiigh-Masak noted that she was contacted by a funeral entrepreneur in Switzerland who asked if they could ship bodies to Sweden for promession since the process is not yet available in his country.  Wiigh-Masak has also started the Promessa Foundation, to which she will donate the patient.  If this process garners more money, she says “it can be used to create a better world.”  While this form of disposition has not yet crossed the pond to the United States, it might offer a new option for U.S. consumers in the future.

If you or a family member have any further questions or concerns with respect to cremation, cremation services, cremation costs or a direct cremation please feel free to contact Cremation Options toll free 24 hours daily at 1-877-989-9090.

Cremation, News Cremains, Cremation, cremation jewelry, Cremation Options, Cremation Remains, Cremation Services, cremation urn, funeral, funeral plans, funeral service

One of the biggest trends that we at the Celebrant USA Foundation & institute have seen in funerals and memorials is the increase in “end-of-life tributes.”These tributes which could be compared to family reunions typically take place a year or more after the funeral of the deceased and provide an opportunity for family members to celebrate the loved one’s life in a very personal and meaningful way and to express what was important to him/her.Either at the funeral or after a year or more of healing and transitioning we have found that families are looking for ways to come together and genuinely reflect upon and honor their beloved who has passed.It is our hope that these personal vignettes of end-of-life funeral ceremonies and tributes can be of assistance in some small way in the decision making about life, death and the people we loveHow better can we appreciate the life we have than when we appreciate the lives that were lived and loved before us.

Trees In A Garden Memorial

For years a couple struggled to have a family through the invitro-fertilization process; they suffered through three stillborn births.Five years later they close to honor in a ceremony the three little lives they lost.Last spring the husband and wife held a commemoration and memorial ceremony to honor these precious souls that if they had lived would have been the older siblings of their two daughters, aged three and five.Family and friends came together at their home and garden and in the ceremony the parents expressed the importance of family their love of life and joy their two young daughters have given them.Throughout the ceremony they honored their children that did not survive through symbolism and homegrown rituals.For example the family planted three evergreen trees in their garden in memory of each child.In a meaningfuland deeply touching way this family discovered that through ceremony they could pay homage to their family, present and past, and honor the life experience of having children and losing children and sharing it with the people in their lives that they love the most.

Wish Box And Disco Mama!

The family of a 52 year old Italian mother who had passed away chose to celebrate her life several years after the funeral in a way that truly reflected their mom’s fun loving spirit.This vivacious mother of four was a great loss and a shock to her very close-knit family.The children all in their 20’s and 30’s decided to create a tribute to their mother after realizing that the funeral did not sufficiently pay homage to her.They gathered in a private room at a restaurant that they decorated in their mom’ favorite color-purple!Her sons and daughters also hoisted up a mirrored ball and raided their lat mom’s favorite 1980’s disco collection.They created CD’s of disco songs for all the guests to take home with them.Everyone attending the ceremony wore purple, including the decedent’s children, grandchildren, family and friends.Their mother’s siblings from across the country who could not fly in sent their wishes and fondest memories via email to the celebrant to read and place in a wish box the grandchildren made from family photos and memorabilia.The ceremony and Italian feast captured this woman’s sparkling and loving nature and her family’s joy and satisfaction shone through.Even the grandchildren came up to the microphone under the mirrored ball and shared their memories.

Fishing Pole Salute Tribute To Dad

Two brothers in their 30’s lost their dad who happened to be their best friend too.Throughout their lives father and sons were inseparable.Together they shared the best of times…deep sea fishing, clearing the brush land by their ocean front property, playing guitar and most of all watching the glorious sunrises on the beach.Every summer season the family enjoyed times together at the sea.One morning the eldest son was untangling the shore brush along with his father when suddenly his father fell to the ground.With his father in his arms and no one else in sight, the boy shared the last few moments of his dad’s life holding him close.While the sun was rising, his father passed away.For their father’s funeral ceremony the boys wrote a special song and played it on their guitars to honor his memory.They were quiet guys that weren’t big talkers.Expressing themselves through music was the one way they felt comfortable sharing their loss with family and friends.Prior to the wake the celebrant asked guests to bring their fishing poles and line them up in the funeral home near the casket. This resembled a military procession only with a grand fishing pole salute.The boys were able to communicate their feelings and the close relationship they shared with their dad in a sincere and meaningful way.Everyone who attended his funeral participated in the wave of love and respect for this salt of the earth father and friend.Each year as a tribute to their father on the anniversary of his birthday the boys invite family, prepare a feast and sing and play the song that they wrote.

If you or a family member have any further questions or concerns with respect to cremation, cremation services, cremation costs or a direct cremation please feel free to contact Cremation Options toll free 24 hours daily at 1-877-989-9090.

Cremation, News Cremains, Cremation, cremation jewelry, Cremation Options, Cremation Remains, Cremation Services, cremation urn, funeral, funeral plans, funeral service