Cremation Urn Basics

Have you opted for cremation after death? If so, you may enjoy picking out your urn now. Even if death makes you feel squeamish, you can be entertained by the options available – anything you can imagine may be available or possibly created just for you or your loved ones.

New Pediatric Standards of Care for Hospices

More than 1,600 hospice and palliative care leaders, managers and industry experts gathered in Washington, DC this week to discuss issues involving healthcare reform.

Your Body for Some Land

Green funerals are becoming more popular, and not just because they’re environmentally sound. They’re also less expensive in most cases. But now the living can make a decision to become one with nature in death with a plan to increase land for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Uneasy About Embalming

Embalming, as an art and a practice, began in ancient Egypt as mummification, and has grown throughout the centuries to become a necessity at times, a blasphemy to some and a horror to others. Embalming, in most modern cultures, is the art and science of temporarily preserving human remains to forestall decomposition and to make them suitable for display at a funeral. According to Wikipedia:

The Beneficiary’s Guide to Life Insurance

If you become the beneficiary of a life insurance policy, you must file a claim to receive any money. This task could be as simple is contacting an insurance agent and filing some paperwork. But, if this is all you do, you may eventually discover that you have missed out on other benefits to which you are entitled. If you spend time finding hidden policies, you may uncover more money than you expected.

Medicare Part A and Hospice Care

Medicare Part A is the portion of Medicare that is available premium-free to all eligible individuals. This part of Medicare benefits provides services associated with hospital, hospice, skilled nursing care and home health care. While you may have read that Medicare Part A covers all costs incurred with hospice, or palliative, care, this is not the case when it comes to custodial care.

Hospice Care, Funerals and Cemeteries on Twitter

Do you use Twitter? If not, you probably wonder what the Twitter fuss is all about. If you’re using Twitter, you may think that those who don’t use it just don’t “get it.” Whether or not you use Twitter, you might be surprised to learn that this social media tool has penetrated the death care industry.

Downsizing the Traditional Funeral

People expect the liquor industry, films and other forms of ‘entertainment’ to do well during a recession. These businesses offer individuals a way to escape reality, even if it’s for just an hour or two. But, who knew that the funeral industry would receive attention during this economic turmoil? A brief look through recent news articles brings some interesting perspectives to this death care field.

Religion, Death and Dying

The Los Angeles Times recently ran an article that talked about how religious belief drives some patients to fight for life, while others suffer more at the end of life because of their religion . The main character in this article is Holly Prigerson, director of the Center for Psycho-oncology and Palliative Care Research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and the study’s senior author. The entire article is summed up in the final paragraph from that piece:

Three Killer Diseases Designed for Palliative Care

Today’s top killer diseases in the United States include heart disease, cancer and stroke. Men and women both are susceptible to these diseases, which cover such ailments as coronary artery disease, heart failure, heart rhythm disorders, all types of cancer and ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes. These diseases, once developed, often are fatal.