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The Guardian
9 hours ago
- Health
- The Guardian
‘Mum kept saying she wanted to go up in a firework': Why green burials are going mainstream
'I want to become a pearl when I die - or a reef,' said Madeleine Sutcliffe. Aged 80 and suffering from lung cancer, Sutcliffe was given six months to live in January. Adam, Sutcliffe's son, is enthusiastic. 'I don't think a pearl is possible but if mum's ashes are made into an artificial reef, I'll be able to dive to it,' he said. 'Given how I feel when I dive - serene, calm and meditative - a reef is the perfect environment to remember mum.' Until recently, wanting an environmental funeral was a radical concept. Now, it's increasingly mainstream: a recent report by the National Funeral Directors Association found over 60% of families said they would be interested in investigating green funeral options - up from 56% in 2021. Even local councils are responding: the Association for Public Service Excellence recently found that over 61% of councils across the UK already provide natural or woodland burial grounds, or plan to do so in the near future - up from 44% in 2018. There are now an almost bewildering number of options available for those who want their death celebrated in a sustainable way. Some are still under development, such as decomposers that turn the body into fertile soil, fungi bodysuits that decompose the body, and egg-shaped pods in which corpses are curled and a tree planted on top. Other methods are already available in other countries: resomation - a chemical process of alkaline hydrolysis, and human composting - which involves keeping a body in a controlled environment so that remains are broken down quicker than a burial. Other complex options, such as aquamation - which yields the same results as cremation by using pressurised water, is growing in popularity, as are biodegradable urns and tree pod burials - placing a deceased person's ashes into a biodegradable pod, buried under a tree. The world's first mushroom coffin - a 'living coffin' that helps to speed up the body's decomposition and enrich the surrounding earth - is as close as a funeral home in south London. Traditional funerals are losing popularity for a range of reasons, among them, the growing awareness of the damage they do. According to the Green Burial Council, traditional burials in the United States use an estimated 4.3 million gallons of embalming fluid, 20 million board feet of hardwood (including rainforest wood), 17,000 tons of copper and bronze, and 1.6 million tons of concrete each year - all of which use vast amounts of energy to source, manufacture, process and transport. Over time, these toxins leach into the surrounding soil. Even when filtered, cremations are also damaging; their fumes emitting carbon dioxide and toxic, mercury-laden gasses. Then there's the price: traditional funerals can cost upwards of £5,000. Green burials can cost as little as £700. The fall in religiosity is also a factor: while fewer than half Britons now believe in god, belief among those aged over 80 - like Sutcliffe - has fallen from 82% in 1981 to 59% in 2021. When people are freed to make their own funeral decisions, results are often exuberantly celebratory. 'My mum had cancer for five years and kept saying that she wanted to go up in a firework,' said Caroline Murphy, of her mother, Jeanne. 'I never even knew it was a thing but after she died, we discovered that it was.' Jeanne's ashes were divided into five fireworks - four of which have already been exploded in places significant to the family. Jeanne's 14 year old granddaughter, Gabriella, loved it. 'My grandmother always said she was going to watch over us and after seeing her explode in the night sky above us, I can believe that's true,' she said. 'Each time we let a firework off, it was really joyous and celebratory. It suited her character perfectly.' But with choice, comes risk: adverts for two funeral providers were banned a few years ago after they misleadingly implied their MDF coffins were more eco-friendly than other options. Then last year, the Green Burial Council had to review their own processes after removing certification from a company called Ovum Fungi. 'Their pods initially met our certification criteria but their messaging made additional claims that were not consistent with our mission,' said Christopher Doggett. Ovum Fungi have not responded to calls from the Guardian. Rosie Inman-Cook from The Natural Death Centre is conflicted by the rise in natural burial grounds in the UK: 'There are now over 300 in the country but only 70 that we certify,' she said. 'There are real cowboys out there,' she warned. 'We get far too many calls from families whose loved ones have been buried in the wrong grave, or their coffins improperly placed in the ground, or a space in the family plot filled with the coffin of a stranger.' The Law Commission is currently consulting on alternatives to established funerary methods. But in the absence of regulation, experts are concerned that families are being exploited. 'There is a lot of opportunity here for greenwashing by those, some perhaps with the best of intentions, who haven't done the right research,' said Oliver Towner, a member of the SAIF National Executive, the group supporting independent funeral directors. Towner points to the woven coffins that many funeral directors market as being a sustainable alternative to a wooden coffin. 'A lot of them are made in China and shipped to the UK. Are they still a more sustainable product than other options? The data at the moment just doesn't exist.' Towner also points out how important it is to take wider facts into account when judging what option is most sustainable. 'The carbon footprint of a cremation will obviously be more than a natural burial, but you're more likely to live closer to a crematorium than a natural burial ground and you're likely to scatter the ashes closer to home,' he said. Towner warns, however, that any interrogation of environmental claims has to cast its net even more widely. 'When looking at aquamation, for example, we need to factor in the the Environmental Agency's recent warning that London could run out of water in the next 25 years,' he said. 'If we start to rely on water cremation, what happens if London runs out of water in London?'
Health Line
16-05-2025
- Health
- Health Line
Does Medicare Cover Funeral Expenses?
Key takeaways Medicare doesn't cover funeral expenses. It's a health insurance program primarily for individuals over 65 or those younger who live with certain disabilities or conditions. Medicare does provide assistance with end-of-life care through hospice services, which include doctor and nursing care, therapy, medical equipment, social services, and medications. In addition, the Social Security Administration (SSA) offers a lump sum death benefit of $255 to surviving spouses or children, and individuals can set up burial funds, reserving up to $1,500 each for future funeral expenses. Medicare is a form of health insurance primarily for individuals over 65 and people under 65 who have certain disabilities or conditions. It covers medical expenses such as hospital stays and doctor's visits, as well as preventive care like vaccinations. While Medicare doesn't cover funeral costs, it does offer assistance with end-of-life care, specifically hospice services. In addition, the Social Security Administration (SSA) offers a lump sum death benefit to surviving spouses or children. How much do funerals cost? Losing a loved one and grieving for that loss is difficult, especially when you also have to plan the funeral and manage its costs. Funerals can have varied costs depending on the type of service or burial you choose. A 2021 study by the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) found that the median price of a funeral rose 6.6% in 5 years, reaching $7,848, while the median cost of a funeral with cremation increased by 11.3%, reaching $6,970. Generally speaking, you'll need to consider the following expenses: Funeral fees: Funeral providers typically charge a basic fee for their services, which include planning and coordinating the funeral, getting required permits, transportation, embalming, burial or cremation, and use of the funeral home or vehicles. Casket: If you choose a burial, you'll have to purchase a casket. The cost of a casket can range widely from around $2,000 to as high as $10,000, depending on the type you choose and the material it's made from. Honorarium: Typically, you are expected to gift around $100 to $300 to your funeral officiant, such as a minister or rabbi. You make a similar gift of around $50 to $100 to a musician if you include one in your service. Other expenses: Even if you choose cremation, you may still need to rent a casket for the visitation and funeral, and some states may require you to pay for a liner or vault in the ground to house the casket. To help you plan for funeral costs, the Federal Trade Commission offers a more detailed checklist of anticipated expenses. How much will Social Security pay for funeral expenses? While Medicare doesn't cover funeral expenses, the SSA will give you a lump sum of $255. You qualify if you were the spouse of the deceased and lived with them prior to their death or you lived separately but are still eligible for some of their Social Security benefits. In the absence of a surviving spouse, a child of the deceased can also collect this benefit. In addition, if you're able to plan ahead, you and your spouse have the option to set up a burial fund and reserve up to $1,500 each for future funeral expenses. Where else can I get help paying for a funeral? Generally speaking, the type of insurance most likely to help cover funerals is life insurance. These policies often include burial insurance, with a death benefit of $5,000 to $25,000. In addition, the following are some resources that may help support you in terms of funeral costs: Veteran Affairs (VA): If you're a child or spouse of a veteran, you can get up to $2,000 from the VA. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): FEMA may help cover the funeral expenses of people who died during certain natural disasters and from COVID-19. Charities: Local and national charities may help with funeral expenses. Some may be associated with religious institutions, such as churches in your area, while others may be geared toward specific kinds of deaths. For example, Final Farewell offers financial assistance for child funerals. What does Medicare pay before someone dies? Medicare does cover hospice care. A doctor will need to verify that you or your loved one has an end stage illness with a life expectancy of less than 6 months. You'll also need to sign a statement confirming your desire for palliative care and your decision not to seek other treatments. Covered services include: doctor and nursing care therapy medical equipment social services medications Original Medicare (parts A and B) covers most of these costs, while Medicare Advantage and Medigap can help with additional expenses. Frequently asked questions How do I report a death to Medicare? When a Medicare beneficiary dies, the death must be reported to the SSA and Medicare. You can do this by calling the SSA at 800-772-1213 (TTY: 800-325-0778) or by providing the deceased person's Social Security number to their funeral director, who can make the report on their behalf. What happens to a body if no one can pay for a funeral? In most cases, if you can't afford a funeral, you have the option to fill out the paperwork with your local county coroner's office, and the state will handle the arrangements. This means you won't have any control over the location or method of burial or cremation, though. Takeaway Medicare is a type of health insurance that primarily benefits individuals age 65 years or older and people under age 65 years who have certain disabilities or conditions. While it does cover hospice care, it doesn't cover funeral costs. That said, the SSA provides a one-time death benefit to surviving spouses or children. Additional local and national resources may be able to help you cover funeral costs.
USA Today
07-04-2025
- General
- USA Today
Death becomes her: More women are becoming funeral directors
Death becomes her: More women are becoming funeral directors Women made up 72% of funeral services graduates in 2022. Why are they drawn to the industry and what do they bring to the service? Show Caption Hide Caption Good neighbor offers advice on dressing respectfully at a mosque A woman in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, gets advice from her Muslim neighbor, Rahab Almohammed, on how to wear a headscarf at a mosque funeral. USA Today Allyse Worland was a child when she went to a family member's funeral. "His presentation was not pleasant," she said. "It was unacceptable. And it was very traumatic for the family." Worland, just 9 years old, made up her mind that she wanted to become a funeral director to spare other families the pain hers had experienced. When she was older, she knocked on the doors of every funeral home in her rural Indiana county. She was turned away each time, she said, until she came to one with a a female funeral director. "She taught me the basics," Worland said. "It was a great example of one woman opening a door for another one." Today, Worland is vice president of Lauck & Veldhof Funeral & Cremation Service, a small family owned firm in Indianapolis, and a member of the National Funeral Directors Association. She's also one of a growing number of women breaking ground in a field that was once considered a man's domain: working with the dead for the benefit of the living. In 2022, 77% of the more than 7,000 students enrolled in funeral service education programs in the U.S. were women. 'That's what men do, right?' Lanae Strovers, like Worland, became a funeral director after seeing how not to do the job. "I had a very good friend and he passed away in tragic circumstances, and the funeral was horrible," she told the Des Moines Register, part of the USA TODAY Network. "It just didn't have anything to do with him. You could just tell there wasn't a lot of effort that was put into it." Upset by the experience, she googled "How to be a funeral director," and a new career was born. She is now a funeral director for Hamilton Funeral Homes in Des Moines and a trainer for the National Funeral Directors Association. She knew the industry was traditionally male-dominated. Her father said, "That's what men do, right?" when she told her parents about her new career. "It's one of those things that in the last couple years has really been changing. That traditional funeral is kind of going to the side," she said. She and Worland both said people are searching for more individualized funerals that reflect their values and identities. "People want that more creative, almost that party planning aspect of it, and also ... a lot more of grief therapy and follow-up," said Strovers, who started a nonprofit, The Final Salute, to help veterans and their family members whose remains go unclaimed. What women bring to the funeral industry Worland has been in the funeral industry for 16 years. She holds degrees in mortuary science and management, and she has seen the changes in who's entering the business. "I've seen a lot of younger women, but also women who go into this as a second career, who find their calling later," she said. Once a vocation that was passed down through families, funeral services are attracting more first-generation students, such as her and Strovers. Changing times: After a bad funeral, this Iowa woman became a funeral director to do better for others She sees women's traditional role as caregivers as an advantage, noting that before hospitals, hospices and nursing homes, the dying were usually cared for and tended to at home by women: wives, mothers, aunts, daughters. "I think of it as coming full circle," she said. "People see women as more compassionate, and we have a different eye for things." She admitted she's encountered some discrimination, mostly from people who think she can't handle the physical demands of the job. Asked if there were any misconceptions people have, she joked, "We don't all look like Lurch from 'The Addams Family.'" She said she wants more people to understand that "we have lives outside the funeral home, and we are fighting our own battles." Helping others process their loss and grief can take an emotional toll on funeral workers, too, she said. "But we love our families and we love our communities, and that's what it's really about," Worland said. "There's a reason we're here. We are here to guide you and we'll be there every step of the way." How does one start a funeral services career? A mortuary science degree is usually a two-year associate's degree, offered at schools across the country. The American Board of Funeral Service Education Inc. has a list of schools it's accredited on its website, and courses range from technical subjects such as microbiology, anatomy, embalming and restorative techniques to courses dealing with business practices, management, psychology, grief and ethics. Some schools offer bachelor's degrees as well. Licensing requirements can vary by state, and some states require additional licenses for different aspects of mortuary science and funeral direction, such as cremation, running a funeral home or embalming, according to Many funeral directors and morticians work as interns or apprentices at established funeral homes to gain professional experience. What does a funeral director do? Funeral director or morticians work with loved ones to make the deceased's final arrangements, whether that involves burial, cremation or other ways of laying someone's remains to rest; planning services and completing the required paperwork. Duties can also include preparing the person's remains for a viewing and/or burial; offering support for loved ones; helping pre-plan funeral arrangements for those who wish to do so; conducting services and memorials; and working with clergy members and houses of worship to ensure adherence to religious and cultural traditions. How much do funeral directors and morticians make? Mmorticians make an average salary of $56,126 annually, according to That can vary widely, though: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says the median salary for morticians, undertakers and funeral arrangers in Rhode Island is $84,120, while the same professionals make a median salary of $33,040 in Texas.
Axios
10-03-2025
- Health
- Axios
More women are working in deathcare, funeral industry
Lanae Strovers didn't plan to work in deathcare until she lost a close friend and his funeral didn't reflect who he was. The big picture: More women like Strovers are entering the historically male-dominated funeral industry. Context: In the 18th and 19th centuries, women played major roles in deathcare, including watching over the dying and laying out their bodies. But that shifted when embalming became the norm and deathcare became a more formalized practice, which women were excluded from. Flashback: When Strovers' close friend died in a single-car accident in 2007, it took three months for his remains to be identified. When the funeral finally happened, "it just felt like we were at the wrong place," she tells Axios. Nothing reflected the vibrancy of her friend, who was a Des Moines hairdresser. That night, after a couple of glasses of wine, she Googled "how to become a funeral director" and applied to DMACC's mortuary science program. She woke up to an acceptance email. State of play: There's a dated perception that funeral directors are "old white men," but these days, women are outpacing men in mortuary science enrollment, according to the National Funeral Directors Association. In 2007, 40% of students enrolling in mortuary science programs were women and 60% were men. In 2019, 72% of enrollees were women and 28% were men. What they're saying: The funeral industry is shifting from traditional services to more personalization, Strovers says. It can be as simple as putting out a bowl of grandma's Werther's Original candy or as complicated as designing a funeral to appear like a runway show. People are also more open to talking about grief and mental health in recent years, Strovers says. Yes, but: The industry doesn't have the highest pay, she says. In Iowa, a person with a degree in mortuary science earns an average of $62,138, according to DMACC. But entry pay is lower, typically around $35,000, she says. The bottom line: "Society as a whole has been so much better about mental health and talking about their feelings, and we're doing so much more aftercare," Strovers says. "Once the family is done with the service, we're not done serving them."
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Utah's human composting bill may not be dead yet
The Capitol in Salt Lake City is pictured on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) A bill that would legalize human composting, also known as natural organic reduction, as an alternative to other burial services such as cremation and alkaline hydrolysis was held in the Senate Business and Labor Standing Committee Tuesday, meaning it could come back later in the session. Sen. Jen Plumb, D-Salt Lake City, introduced similar legislation during last year's session, but the bill was held in committee due to concerns about issues including disclosure of burial remains on private properties and visitation rights to a burial site. This year's bill, SB84, hasn't addressed all those concerns yet, but it does outlaw the use of human compost for food growth. Natural organic reduction is defined by the National Funeral Directors Association as 'the contained, accelerated conversion of human remains to soil.' The process involves placing a body in a container that is filled with straw, wood chips or alfalfa; then over several weeks, microbial activity transforms the body into nutrient-rich soil. 'Ultimately, for me, I think this is an opportunity for our funeral industry,' Plumb said. 'This is a business opportunity. Right now, there are people in Utah choosing this option, but they're going out of state for it, and those dollars are leaving the state.' James Loomus, a Utah resident who recently lost his 16-year-old daughter, who wanted to be composted, said he had to send her remains out of state, which was an additional complication and expense to an already difficult situation. 'Now, I don't have her close to me and she's out of state in this process, and I need to drive to another state to pick up that material,' he said with tears in his eyes. 'I just ask you to vote in favor of this bill, so the next person in my position doesn't have that extra burden and cost on top of an already difficult situation.' Tyler Russon, co-owner of Russon Mortuary and Crematory and a representative of Utah Funeral Directors Association, said the board opposes the bill, but not because it's against natural organic reduction. 'Many states that have made it legal have had to back regulate,' he said. 'We're concerned with soil. What do you do with that soil … do you have to connect that to the title?' Sen. Scott Sandall, R-Tremonton, echoed those concerns, but Plumb said human composting is similar to how cremains are spread. 'The volume differential between ashes and this process look like they're multiple-fold,' Sandall said. Sen. Calvin Musselman, R-West Haven, said he was all for new business opportunities but was uncomfortable with what he called a 'cultural change.' 'I think there probably are lanes that we could regulate to make this work but I don't know if I'm quite comfortable with it yet, but I am interested,' he said. Plumb said what people want for their final resting place is a 'precious thing' 'To be able to regulate it from our state, make the rules from our state, as well as to bring in this business opportunity and to do it responsibly and thoughtfully, to me feels like the right thing to do,' she said. The committee voted to move on to the next item on the agenda, leaving room for the bill to potentially come back to the committee later in the session. If it were to eventually pass, Utah would be the 13th state to legalize human composting. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
