Let Your Family Know Your Final Wishes In Advance So You Can Be Cremated If That's Your Preference
Posted on: 8 June 2019
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When you think about your will and estate plan, you may eventually start wondering what to do about your final wishes. You can take some of the burden from your family by planning your funeral in advance. Plus, this gives you the chance to make your wishes known so you can choose cremation if that's what you prefer. Here's a look at choosing cremation for 0pafter you pass.
You Can Still Have A Funeral Home Viewing
Even though you choose to be cremated, you can still have a traditional viewing of your body and a funeral. Once the funeral is over, your body is cremated rather than buried. If you have a viewing, your body needs to be embalmed first. However, you can decide to forego the viewing if that's your wish. In that case, you won't need to be embalmed. You'll go straight from your place of death to the crematory. You can still have a funeral service after you're cremated with your ashes in an urn rather than with your body in a casket.
Your Family May Be Allowed To Watch The Cremation
The facility where you have your cremation may have room to allow a few of your family members to watch the procedure if they want. A crematory is a small room with fireproof walls where your body will be burned with intense heat. The process could take a couple of hours, and then your remains need to cool for about an hour before the process can be completed. You'll probably be placed in a cremation casket that is made to ignite and burn readily. You won't need a traditional casket when you're cremated unless you want your body to be viewed first.
Once your remains have cooled after the cremation process, the operator examines them to remove any metal parts that might be present, such as artificial joints and screws. Once those are removed, your remains, which are mostly tiny bone fragments, are pulverized into a powder consistency. These are called your ashes, but they are really just crushed bone remains. These remains are then placed in an urn and given to your relatives to take home or take to your memorial service.
Some people have strong opinions about whether they prefer burial or cremation, so be sure your wishes are known to your family before you die and that they agree to do as you wish. Once your final plans are in place, you have peace of mind that your passing won't be a burden on your family by leaving them with difficult decisions to make on their own.