Category: Newsletter Articles

Two recent, distinctly different publications address end-of-life concerns and despite different audiences, format, and approaches, both focus of important considerations and share a common theme. End-of-life goals should emphasize quality rather than quantity of time, should be considered at all stages of life, since death can occur at any age, and should  help patients to…

Those Obits: “Died” and “passed away” remain the most frequent obituary verbs, but a reader sent in a new one: “breathed her last”. We also saw some open-ended ‘in lieu of flowers’ requests to give to; “a charity of your choice”, “educate children”, “promote the arts” or “take a moment to enjoy the melody of…

by Patricia Carr On September first, 2013, my father, age 100, died in Yeovil, Somerset, a pretty county town where he and my mother had lived for close on thirty years until my mother died in 2005. Both parents had opted for cremation, and on each occasion it was conducted by a funeral home at…

Is embalming required? NO. It is not required for either cremation or for burial. Funeral homes may have “policies” requiring embalming for viewings or funerals with the body present, but there are no laws requiring this. Funeral homes may urge embalming if burial is delayed, but refrigeration is a viable alternative. Cremation and Immediate Burial…

by Valerie Friedman I believe that it is our responsibility to our loved ones to prepare what is referred to as a “letter of final instruction”. It provides someone who would have to step into our shoes with all the information they need to handle our affairs if we are unable to do so, because…