Surprising Things You Probably Did Not Know About Cremation

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The process of cremation goes beyond the matter of burning a body until nothing but dust is left. It is in fact, a little more complicated than that. Baldauff Family Funeral Home and Crematory, in funeral homes, Daytona Beach, FL that may be needed after a loved one dies, from embalming to cremation services. Here are some facts about cremation that might come as a surprise to many.

Ancient Practice

Contrary to what many may believe, cremation is an ancient practice. The cremation rate in the U.S. has increased from 32.3% in 2005 to 53.5% in 2018, a reason for which many believe it has only become popular lately. But scholars have come to the agreement nowadays, that burning the dead, was a practice that probably began during the early Stone Age – around 3000 B.C. – and most likely in Europe and the Near East. It is precisely the methods of how it is done, that are now very different from what they used to be.

Japan leads the world in cremations

By a very significant margin, Japan has the highest rate of cremation. A very surprising figure of 99.9% has come to be the consequence of Japan not counting with enough space to accommodate the bodies.

Outer Space Homage

To honor the planetary geologist, Eugene Merle Shoemaker, who discovered the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, NASA sent a portion of his cremains to the moon.

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Unexpected places to scatter ashes (like Outer Space)

For years, rumors went around indicating that the custodial staff at Disneyland, had a special term to communicate between them, that someone had scattered the remains of a loved one somewhere in the park. The code words happened to be “HEPA Cleanup”.

It was later confirmed in 2018, by a Wall Street Journal report that the rumors were in fact true. However, even if your loved one who just departed, was the biggest Disney fan, try not to get any ideas. Disneyland is very strict about its rules and they have enforced some of them to deal with these types of situations.

Very high temperatures

Preheating temperatures at a crematory need to reach 1600 degrees but during the actual process of cremation, the heat will rise to 1800 degrees (the temperature of some volcanoes at the time of eruption).

Funeral homes, Daytona Beach, FL accommodate all religious practices by offering a variety of services. The trend of cremation over embalming has altered much of the business structure of many funeral homes in an effort to accommodate as many family preferences as possible.

The stages of grief and how can funeral homes help you

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After someone we love dies, it is completely normal to go through a process to mourn the loss. New emotions that feel overwhelming or confusing may arise. This process has been analyzed by professionals with the intention of helping people out in coping with it. Some funeral homes in Lake Helen, FL might be able to help you, as long as you request assistance from the right place. Baldauff Family Funeral Home and Crematory has been around for enough time and thus counts on the necessary expertise to guide you through such an impactful moment in your life.

5 Stages of Grief

These are basically the most common reactions to loss. It may come as a surprise that these not only happen after losing someone to death. They could also be the result of any of life’s important changes; for example, finding a fatal illness or ending a close relationship.

The 5 most common stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

Denial

For most people, this is the first response they have to lose. It could be considered the most confusing out of them all. The shock that comes afterward usually clouds reasoning in a way, that the person won’t be able to believe what is actually going on. An example of this would be a person who constantly fantasizes about the phone ringing with the news that there was a mistake and that the loved one is in fact, not dead.

Anger

Coming around the idea of loss is not easy but it eventually happens. A normal phase to look out for at this point is anger. Pain from a loss tends to be redirected as anger. Interestingly enough even this anger serves a purpose. Anger might be looked at as a way to reconnect with the world after isolation consequence of the denial stage. Try reminding yourself or your loved one, that underneath it all, there is pain.

Bargaining

This one is a way of holding on to hope. During the anger stage, you already thought: “Why me?” Now, you have an internal negotiation going on inside. At this point, you are just thinking about what you need to do in order to get your life back in return. Guilt is a normal consequence since you have this internal dialogue that is telling you that if you had done such and such differently, then, this wouldn’t have happened.

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Depression

Depression would not be considered a sign of mental health condition in a situation like this. It is, in fact, a normal response to grief. It might feel overwhelming, as it could cause the person to feel fatigued, confused, distracted, vulnerable, not hungry, not able or willing to get ready in the morning, not able to enjoy the activities that used to be fun.

Acceptance

Unfortunately, reaching this stage doesn’t necessarily mean that healing is complete. In fact, it might never be. But reaching acceptance comes with a strong sense of peace. This could happen during the funeral home, in Lake Helen, FL itself or it could take longer. There is definitely no right timing for or way of dealing with the 5 stages of loss.

Steps to follow after your loved one dies

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There’s no way to describe how impactful losing a loved one could be in someone’s life. Such a hard moment still doesn’t rid us of the logistic and social responsibilities that may fall upon us on top of the emotional suffering that comes with the death of a loved one. Overwhelming emotions make it even more difficult to take decisions and/or make the necessary funeral arrangements. Thankfully funeral homes in Daytona Beach, FL can help with everything.

  1. Get legal pronouncement of death, if at the moment it happened there wasn’t a doctor or a nurse around (let’s say because the person was living at home and not at a hospice or a hospital), you’ll still need someone to declare the time of death. So, call 911 if the person dies at home.
  2. Transportation; if no autopsy is required, then you should arrange for the body to be transported to the funeral home. In Daytona Beach, FL, Baldauff Family Funeral Home and Crematory help with everything, including transportation needs, funeral arrangements, and/or cremation services.
  3. Notify close friends and family. Sharing the news sooner rather than later is usually best. It’s customary to share the news with the immediate family first and then with close friends. If someone offers to help with spreading the news to those who care, let them. It should take some pressure off your shoulders and it would probably let the one offering contribute in a way, to help relieve the pain.
  4. While you come up with a long-term plan, try to quickly find someone close who wants to help out and can step forward in the time that you’re arranging everything else with the funeral homes.
  5. It’s understandable that you would like to respect the person’s desires and beliefs. Search for documents to find out whether there was a prepaid burial plan. Make funeral arrangements or decide if burial or cremation would be what your loved one would have wanted.
  6. If possible, find out if the person happened to leave behind a will & testament.
  7. Order a casket. Most people do this through their funeral homes because it’s a lot less stressful to let someone with a certain amount of expertise in the matter, handle this particularly delicate situation.
  8. If the person lived alone, notify the Post Office so that the mail is forwarded to another address.
  9. Determine whether you would need financial assistance. The average funeral costs could be hard to manage sometimes, especially if the death is unexpected and no planning had been done in advance. More and more these days, people are turning to the option of raising funds with the help of friends and families, to help alleviate the burden that can be losing a loved one, both emotionally and financially.

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If you’re in Daytona Beach, FL and you are looking for a funeral home to help you handle this situation, look no longer. Baldauff Family Funeral Home and Crematory has been around for 18 years, helping families just like yours handle situations as difficult as this same one.

Cemetery Recommendations From Funeral Homes

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You might not have a lot of experience in working with funeral homes in Lake Helen, FL , and, likewise, you might not have experience working with cemeteries, either. When a loved one dies and you want to have a funeral for them, you research funeral home professionals until you find a company you feel comfortable with. Once you start working with these experts, you feel good about placing your loved one into their capable hands. Then, you also have to find a cemetery. The funeral home has plenty of recommendations and helps for you in that area as they work with cemeteries daily.

Look For Experienced Professionals

When you looked for a funeral home, you watched for experienced professionals. When you look for a cemetery, you are going to want the same thing. Now that you have a funeral home you can trust, you can ask them about area cemeteries and who they feel has the most experienced in the areas you need it. They are going to be a wealth of information about what’s in the area and what might work best for you.

Check The Grounds

Once you have some ideas as to which cemeteries are experienced in the area, you can visit them and check the grounds for yourself. Do they look well kept? Are they nice? Do they have paths and shaded areas? If you know you would enjoy visiting your loved one in that cemetery and on those grounds, it might be a good place for them. Seeing it for yourself can make you feel good about placing them there.

Make Sure Options Are Affordable

Cemeteries, much like funeral homes, are going to have packages and price lists. You want to make sure their options are affordable to you and, also, fair in price. You don’t want anything too high or too low, but something nice and fair and in the middle. The funeral home can help you judge which prices are good ones and which might be too high or too low.

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Agree To The Rules

Every cemetery has rules and regulations and before you get a plot and then have an issue with some of those rules, it’s a good idea to review them and make sure you are okay with them. Some of the rules might be regarding the headstones and what size and style they can be, visiting hours, maintenance, and other such things.

Once you are comfortably withing with funeral homes in Lake Helen, FL, you can use their experience and advice when you have to choose cemeteries in the area for your loved one’s burial. The professionals at Baldauff Family Funeral Home and Crematory are here to help you with every part of the process from start to finish. We will help you with the funeral, the burial, and everything in between. We want you to get everything you need for your loved one’s final services and we’ll give you the compassion and support you deserve to get through this tough time.

Choosing A Casket With A Funeral Home

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There are lots of things that funeral homes in Daytona Beach, FL are going to help you when you are planning final services for a loved one, including any products you want or need for their services. If you have decided to have a funeral and burial service, you will need a casket. The funeral home has plenty of options and they will help you go through them to find something fitting.

Make The Budget Fit The Services

You may have a certain budget in mind for the funeral service as a whole. While there are lots of varieties and costs in caskets, you certainly don’t want to overspend and then not have enough for another important area. The funeral home can help you balance out the budget and figure out how much you can afford to spend on the casket without hurting other areas of the planning process.

Consider The Material Options

There are much different metal, wood, and other material options and the funeral home will have examples to show you many of them. Some will vary on cost and others will vary on customization options as well as aesthetics. You will want to think about what your loved one would want as well as what your family would appreciate. The budget is also important to what you can get and what you should avoid.

Get Size Advice

The funeral home will be a huge help in choosing a casket based on the size you need. If you were to cremate your loved one, they would let you know what size urn you needed. The same is true for a burial. Your loved one is a certain height and weight and they need a certain casket size. They will give you the dimensions necessary and you can choose the details from there.

Look At Options In Person

It’s nice to work with a funeral home on this highly personal choice because you are able to look at the options in person. You can see the caskets, check in on the variations, and decide what you want based on what you have seen before your very eyes.

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Consider Decorative Items

You can also customize caskets based on decorative trimmings if you so choose. Wood can come in various designs and there can even be wooden flowers and other things on the casket. Metal caskets can have all sorts of etchings and other things on them, too. Those items raise the costs but make the casket look that much more customized and special.

When you work with funeral homes in Daytona Beach, FL, it’s kind of like working with a one stop shop. You can get everything you need for your loved one’s funeral services in one location, with people you trust. The professionals at Baldauff Family Funeral Home and Crematory are there to show you compassion and support every step of the way. We want you to honor your loved one in the way you feel best about doing so.