Category: funeral homes

 

As the novel coronavirus has taken over the world and made its impact on many industries, the funeral industry has not been an exception. A funeral or memorial tribute offers comfort to family members and close friends, it gives them some type of closure, and it has been proven to help the grieving family members to overcome such critical moments. That is precisely why learning that these types of gatherings can no longer be carried out, could result quite disappointing. Baldauff Family Funeral Home and Crematory offers every service that may be needed after a loved one dies, from embalming to cremation; even during pandemic times. This pandemic has made it more evident than ever that funeral directors play an important role in modern society. Funeral homes in Lake Helen, FL have adopted different methods as alternatives to adapt to COVID-19 times.

They have made it possible for grieving members to interact somehow in the ceremony. This has been done virtually, by hosting the event online; or through a drive-through funeral (in which mourners are allowed a few minutes to say their goodbyes). Grief is a natural response to loss. It’s the emotional suffering you feel when something or someone you love is taken away.

The impact of the virus has been both, unprecedented and unpredictable. For the first time in the history of the United States, the national cremation rate has surpassed the national burial rate.

Funeral directors have had to adapt to the different circumstances and carry out funeral services for a considerable amount of people, a lot more than usual. Reason to now is considered essential first responders in times of national crisis. They have been there, staying as flexible as possible with the intention to meet every family’s distinct needs. Often, the pain of loss can feel overwhelming. You may experience unexpected emotions, from shock or anger to guilt, and sadness. The pain of grief can also disrupt your physical health, making it difficult to sleep, eat, or thinking straight. These are normal reactions to loss—and the more significant the loss, the more intense your grief will be.

Enforcing social distancing laws has brought along major anomalies in funeral practices as we knew them. A huge amount of pressure has been exerted by grieving families to try to ignore the 10-mourner limit. Also, as it has been pointed out, the absence of physical expressions as ways of coping with grief as social beings has left its mark on how people process and deal with death.

That is where live-streaming funerals come into place. Many people will of course feel it is not the same (probably because it is not) but it will most definitely fulfill the social part of the ceremony.

If your loved one’s cause of death, turns out to be COVID-19, for the safety of you and your family and friends, your funeral director will take extra precautions when preparing the body at the funeral home of your choice in Lake Helen, FL. Your funeral director will be committed to providing you with the opportunity, within what is possible in times of so many restrictions, of saying your goodbyes. Thus, if you are making funeral arrangements during these times, relying on experts to handle everything for you, will be the best option.

 

Here are some funeral homes myths that still to this day, are going around. They may result in confusion since they blend quite well with the truth after years of being passed from one generation to the other. Next, we have the fact that cremation and funerals are not mutually exclusive. Funeral Homes in Daytona Beach, FL like Baldauff Family Funeral Home and Crematory, offer a whole range of services to deal with unwanted instances like this, that still gotta be dealt with.

 

The first on our list is the fact that coffins and caskets are not the same things. Whereas, coffins are hexagonal (which means they have a total of eight sides), caskets have four sides that join in right angles.

 

At that time of pain and sorrow, the family members do not have to think too much, funeral arrangements can be carried out by a company of their choice. It is, however, good for them to know that they have options and that there is no need for decisions that could be later be regretted.

 

Third, there is the fact that embalming is optional (it is not always required by law). You have the right to choose any other disposition method that does not require embalming. In Daytona Beach, there is no legal requirement for embalming, unless the body is traveling somewhere where an embalming certificate is mandatory.

 

There is also the myth that funeral directors are miserable people, which could not be any more wrong. Like any other job, this one has its rewards, which basically lay on the foundation of helping out others in times of need: being able to make a difference in the lives of people confronting loss.

 

Now, this misconception is very popular and we don’t exactly where it may have started. There is the popular belief that embalmed remains would last forever. The embalming of a body only delays the natural process of decomposition for too long. To be more specific, embalming delays this by a week or so. The most important factors when it comes to decomposition are temperature and moisture. This being the main reason why funeral homes in Daytona Beach, FL refrigerate the bodies in order to keep them preserved. You might wonder whether it’s better to scatter the ashes yourself or to hire someone to do it for you. Either one is possible. Many companies can spread the ashes on your behalf.

 

The last myth we will talk about here is that quite commonly people believe that funeral arrangements in Daytona Beach, FL have to be expensive. The reality is that these costs will vary depending on each family’s preferences. While being true that the costs can easily add up to $10,000 and more, it is good to point out that for different reasons, many families opt for more affordable options. Some of those adjusting their numbers to as little as $2000. Ahead of time, or as early as it is possible to you, let the funeral director about your budget and plan accordingly.

 

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.

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.

 

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.

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.

 

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.

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.