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.

Why are cremation Services so popular

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In Daytona Beach, FL cremation services are quite popular nowadays. So much, that it could be a little hard to believe that years ago, in 1960 to be a little more specific, a small 3.6 percent of people chose that their loved ones be cremated. But that has steadily been changing as time has passed, and more people have learned the benefits of cremation.

Well, it might be about time to accept that cremation has replaced traditional burials in popularity. But why is it really that Americans are opting more for cremation these days?

Cost is definitely a factor. According to the National Funeral Association, in 2016 the median cost of a funeral was approximately $8000. Caskets could cost anything from $2000 to $10,000, so just do the math. Overall, cremation does not require many of the things that burial does. Cremation urns also tend to be more on the affordable side of the spectrum, more affordable than caskets, anyway. Baldauff Family Funeral Home and Crematory, in Daytona Beach, FL is equipped to help you with any funeral needs, including cremation.

Another important factor is that since the 1960s the Vatican has been loosening rules on cremation. Thus, an increase in catholic people choosing this option over other more traditional ones was totally a normal consequence.

The world is apparently becoming more Eco-conscious and with that evolution of thought, different decisions come along. This one should concern a lot more people, given how harmful for the planet, the chemicals used to embalm the bodies, are. There’s of course, also some debate concerning the carbon emissions that are caused by cremation but cremation is still considered the more eco-friendly option at hand.

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Also, considering urns are smaller in size, they are easier to handle and/or transport, which makes the whole process a lot more flexible and simple. 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.

Lastly, it has been found that another reason contributing to the booming of cremation services in Daytona Beach, FL is the fact that it is becoming more common for people to pre-plan. Some people prefer to handle the situation themselves and keep their loved one from the responsibility of arranging and deciding accordingly. Given the chance and the time to decide, people might opt for more objective options, rather than going for more emotional ones, like it is usually common at a time 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.

Taking Time With Memorials After Cremation Services

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One of the biggest benefits of cremation services in Lake Helen, FL is the lack of timeline that cremation brings to the table. With a funeral and burial, the services have to be organized and completed within a few days of the person’s death. That can be cathartic and good for closure, but it can also be a lot of pressure. When you decide on cremation services for your loved one, you are able to take your time with their memorial service as there is no timeline on when that has to be held.

Set A Date Family Can Handle

Once you decide on direct cremation, you can get that process done for your loved one and then check with family and see what date and timeframe work for everyone. You might have people who have to plan and travel, take time off work, and put a pause on things at home. It can be hard to gather last minute, but with some warning, more people may be able to make it to honor your loved one properly.

Take The Time To Brainstorm

With more time on your hands, you can brainstorm the memorial service you want to have for your loved one and get something really special put together. Talk to your family and see what they would like to have happened and what they might want to help with to make it all come together. With a little extra time to pull things together, the service can end up that much more unique and special.

Gather The Budget

When you pay for the cremation, that might be about all you can handle. You want to do something for your loved one’s memorial service, but you may need a budget for that as well. The beauty of cremation is that you can put off the memorial service so you have time to gather the budget you need. You might gather cards from friends who have heard about your loved one and sent money. Compile those donations along with what the family offers and form a plan from there.

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Put Together Special Customizations

There are plenty of pictures of your loved one in your photo books, but it takes time and effort to go through them, make copies, put them into frames, make a video from them, and do other things you might like to share at the memorial service. You can customize the service in just the right ways when you have a little more time on your hands to put something together.

When you are working on cremation services in Orlando, FL for a loved one, think about their needs first and once they are taken care of, you can start to think about how you want to honor them with a memorial service. Whether you do something right away or put it off for a while, the professionals at Baldauff Family Funeral Home and Crematory are here to help with brainstorming, ideas, suggestions, and options to help you out.