How a Funeral Home Can Help You Say Goodbye

Critical Facts About Direct Cremation

For the most part, cremation is nothing more than a funeral rite where the deceased's body is disposed of by burning it to ashes. However, many people are surprised to learn that there are two kinds of cremation: direct and traditional. Traditional cremation involves preparing the body, such as embalming and dressing, followed by transportation to a funeral home before cremation. On the other hand, a dead body is taken from the morgue directly to the crematorium in direct cremation. Since most people know a lot about traditional cremation, here are a few facts about direct cremation.

Funeral Homes have a Role — One significant difference between traditional and direct cremation is that the former involves wakes, viewings and pre-burial visitation. Usually, the activities are organised by a funeral home of choice in traditional cremation. However, funeral homes still have a role, however small, in direct cremations. For instance, you can call a local funeral home to recommend a reputable crematorium, especially if it is your first time. In fact, some funeral homes with crematoriums also offer direct cremation services to clients. In this regard, funeral homes are not restricted to traditional cremations.  

Rights are Protected — Since the deceased's body is taken from a morgue straight to a crematorium, most people are often wary of unprofessional and unethical practices by crematoriums. It can be attributed to direct cremations being less expensive than traditional cremations. Thus, some people think that crematorium directors put profits ahead of customer service. However, nothing could be further from the truth because state laws protect the rights of consumers who opt for direct cremation. For instance, crematoriums are required to inform customers that traditional coffins are not necessary for direct cremations. Therefore, any crematorium director who insists on a conventional coffin would be breaking the law. Moreover, a crematorium should issue a client a simple container to place their loved ones' cremains.

Allows Bigger Memorials — Funeral costs usually accrue the longer a dead body stays in a funeral home if you consider the time taken during body preparation and viewings. Thus, most families have enough time to organise a small funeral service with friends and family before cremation. However, direct cremation allows for bigger memorials since the deceased's body goes directly from a morgue to a crematorium. Notably, loved ones have enough time to prepare for an appropriate memorial service after cremation. It is mainly the case for a family that wants a bigger memorial service but lacks enough funds to accommodate prolonged planning before traditional cremation.  

For more information on cremation, contact a professional near you.