Grief Support Groups: Are They Really Helpful?

Grief is a natural reaction to loss, whether the loss comes as the death of a loved one or beloved pet, the end of a marriage, or the loss of a job or financial or social standing. The Grief Index, a national report compiled by the Grief Recovery Institute Educational Foundation, Inc., cites “major negative consequences” that can occur as a result of attempting to hide, rather than share, one’s grief. Some of those consequences include depression, anxiety, alcohol or drug abuse, poor decision-making and many troubling physical symptoms. Read the rest of this entry »

Grim Offer: Free Funeral Planning for Drunk Drivers

Despite vigorous public education and prevention campaigns aimed at alleviating the drunk-driving problem, alcohol-related accidents claim thousands of lives each year – 13,470 in 2006 alone, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Every single day in the U.S., 36 die and 700 more are injured in drunk-driving accidents, and the annual costs associated with alcohol-related traffic accidents are estimated at more than $15 billion.

With consequences so devastating, why does anyone still drink and drive? And what will it take to drive home the point that drunk driving is deadly? A website that offers funeral planning and other funeral-related services may be on to something. In mid-May, Funeralwise.com launched a PR campaign to remind people not to drink and drive over the Memorial Day weekend. Read the rest of this entry »

Paying Respects: Burial Records, Cemetery Mapping Online

With family members flung far and wide as a fact of modern living, many familiar small-town customs have fallen by the wayside. Now, one such custom – visiting a relative’s gravesite on Memorial Day or other holidays and anniversaries – is making a virtual comeback.

More than a records archive
Launched in November 2008, Names in Stone is an online repository of cemetery records. But while the ability to access burial records online is nothing new, Names in Stone goes a step further by providing actual burial maps – a real boon to historians, researchers and genealogists trying to locate and document burial information. Read the rest of this entry »

Staging Your Exit: Shopping for Hospice Care

When’s the right time shop for end-of-life care? According to Judy Bachrach, the answer is now. Bachrach is the founder of thecheckoutline.org, an online advice column for friends and relatives of the terminally ill. In a recent Obit magazine article, Bachrach not only gives advice to readers on how to shop for hospice care, but also sets the record straight on what hospice is – and isn’t. Read the rest of this entry »

Spanish Cemetery Basks in Sunlight

The image of a cemetery as a dark, shadowy and foreboding place is the stuff horror films and gothic literature are made of. But thanks to one forward-thinking city in Spain, that image may finally be put to rest.

In Santa Coloma de Gramenet, a city just outside Barcelona, a glittering expanse of 462 solar panels have turned the local cemetery into a source of light. Santa Coloma has converted its municipal graveyard into a power plant with a capacity of 100 kilowatts, enough to meet the energy needs of 60 families. Read the rest of this entry »

WA State Human-Pet Burial Bill Dies in Committee

Washington State SB 5063 died a quiet death last week.  That’s when the Senate Rules Committee relegated the bill to the Committee’s “X-file” – effectively euthanizing the legislation introduced by Senator Ken Jacobsen. Had SB 5063 passed into law, cemeteries would have been permitted to allow humans to be buried with their pets’ cremated remains.

Sen. Jacobsen (who wants to be buried with his deceased cat Sam when the time comes), pointed out that the practice of burying humans with their pets is an ancient tradition dating to the Egyptian pharaohs. In Jacobsen’s view, the state has no business getting between him and Sam. “I’m tired of the nanny state worrying about me and my cat,” he said. “I assume there’s a lot of people out there with pets who understand the connection.” Read the rest of this entry »

Dying to Hang Out With the Stars? Check Out America’s Most Expensive Cemeteries

The lifestyles of the rich and famous have always held a certain attraction for people who rarely rub elbows with movie stars, political legends, sports heroes and industrial tycoons. The multi-million dollar price tag on a mansion in the Hollywood Hills, for example, is beyond the reach of most common folk. But death is the great equalizer, and what is out of reach in this life may be attainable in death, where the real estate is cheaper and the neighborhood is easier to get into.

Even the most exclusive cemeteries offer affordable basic plots, with prices starting as low as $1,500, compared to the average cost of a burial plot in the U.S. (currently around $1,000). True, the cost of a private mausoleum can soar upwards of $1.5 million in the high-rent district, but in between there are many plots whose prices are well within reach. Read the rest of this entry »

Undertaking Change: More Women Choose Careers in Funeral Services

Following the retirement of funeral director Gary Owen this month, Sara Van Waus will assume the director’s position at Spencer-Owen Funeral Home in Winnebago, Minnesota. A recent mortuary science graduate, Ms. Van Waus is part of a demographic shift in a field no longer dominated by men.

Less than 40 years ago, 95 percent of the undertakers in the U.S. were men; today that number is closer to 43 percent. One indicator that the number of male undertakers will continue to dwindle is rate at which the proportion of female students in the nation’s mortuary science schools has grown – from 35 percent in 1995 to 60 percent today, according to the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA). Following a recent funeral-industry convention, one female attendee observed that most of the attendees over age 40 were men, while 90 percent of the attendees under age 40 were women. Read the rest of this entry »

Grave Economy Impacts Cemeteries

In Pikes Peak, Colorado, two financially struggling historic cemeteries could close to new burials long before they run out of land.

In Northern California, owners of Skylawn Memorial Park informed workers they would consider selling the San Mateo County cemetery with a magnificent ocean view.

In Littleton, Massachusetts, city officials and residents are at odds regarding how to balance the Westlawn Cemetery budget.

Scenarios like these are unfolding in communities across the country – cemeteries fighting for their lives against numerous financial threats. Read the rest of this entry »

Dying in Debt: Information for Bereaved Families

As millions of U.S. consumers struggle to keep up with loan payments and credit-card debt amid historic unemployment levels, bill collectors face a daunting challenge. (The old adage “you can’t squeeze blood from a turnip” comes to mind.) As the recession wears on, deadbeats aren’t the only ones bill collectors are focusing on; in fact, even death won’t stop the collection calls and letters from coming in. Read the rest of this entry »