Cremation is often more affordable and gives families more ways to remember the deceased. While burials are the more traditional choice, they're typically more expensive. We're laying out the differences between both to help you choose between burial and cremation.
Direct cremation is the least expensive way to bury your loves one. It is done respectfully, and gives your and your family time to find the most personal and affordable burial option.
How much does cremation cost? Generally, cremation is cheaper than burial, and is estimated to cost between $3,108 to $7,187 in Australia, according to the Cost of Death Report. As well as costs, you should think about whether a cremation is the right service for your family.
Cremation of a body can be done with or without clothing. Typically, if there has been a traditional funeral (with the body) present, the deceased will be cremated in whatever clothing they were wearing.
Whilst the cost for a direct cremation can vary, it can be conducted in certain areas of the United States for as little as $495. Generally, a direct cremation can be conducted for between $750 and $1,100 in most cities if you select an affordable cremation services provider.
While some families may still choose a casket as the cremation container, you absolutely do not have to. If you do not wish to purchase a casket, the crematory will offer you an alternative container.
What's really returned to you is the person's skeleton. Once you burn off all the water, soft tissue, organs, skin, hair, cremation container/casket, etc., what you're left with is bone. When complete, the bones are allowed to cool to a temperature that they can be handled and are placed into a processing machine.
The only parts of the body that are removed before cremation are artificial ones like a medical device or implant with a battery, silicone, pins, radiation pressurization, pacemakers, and large hip, knee, and shoulder replacements along with any external jewelry.
In most cases, cremated remains are odourless. They may have a slightly metallic odour or some people say they smell somewhat like incense in some cases. However, it is common for ashes to have no distinct smell. Nonetheless, they can take on the smell of the container or cremation urn they are in.
Only one body can be cremated at once, and all cremated remains must be cleared from the cremation chamber before another cremation can begin. These standards do mean that you may have little input into any 'customization' of a cremation process.
But, who pays for the funeral if there is no money in the estate or a funeral plan is not in place? If there aren't sufficient funds in the deceased's bank accounts or within the estate to pay for the funeral, and they did not have a funeral plan, then the family would normally cover the funeral costs.
A direct cremation (a non-attended cremation without a formal funeral service) is the most affordable funeral option. The average cost of a direct cremation in Australia is $4,000, according to moneysmart.gov.au.
Bodily remains must be suitably enclosed in a coffin, container or receptacle for cremation. Remains can be collected within 2 working days of cremation. A right of interment and interment authorisation must be in place before cremated remains can be interred.
Are coffins sold back to the funeral director for re-use? No. The coffin and the body inside are cremated together. There are occasions where the deceased or the family of the deceased has opted for using a cardboard coffin in which their loved one will be cremated.
A simple funeral is an attended service at a local crematorium, without the expense of a hearse. This means the coffin will be resting in the chapel, ready for you to arrive and celebrate their life. Simple funerals have a similar structure to traditional funerals, but they tend to cost much less.
Cremation
Cremation is far more affordable than a traditional funeral. Its costs are often 10% of what you'd expect to pay for a conventional burial. That's why over 53% of Americans now choose cremation. Cremation involves placing the deceased within a cremation container.
Since all of the organic matter is burned away during cremation, this is why ashes can last (almost) forever - or at least for our entire lifetime. Bones are still DNA and scientists believe that DNA has survived for about one million years.
Cremations last between one and three hours with cooling taking a further one or two hours. This depends on cremation temperatures, the size of the deceased, and coffin material.
The weight is unlike what might be expected from a box of campfire ashes. Human cremation ashes include crushed bone, which makes them denser than ash from wood. Sources in the funerary industry state that one pound of human or pet weight equals one cubic inch of cremated remains.
Why do families need to wait? These different state laws are based on the typical amount of time it takes to complete authorizations, like issuing a death certificate. Because the crematorium needs the death certificate before they can cremate the body, this delays the process and is built into the waiting period.
A: The eyes usually start to flatten after death. Think of an old grape. They do, however, remain with the decedent. We don't remove them.
Is the brain removed before cremation? Removing organs before cremation does not happen. Even if an autopsy has been performed, the organs are cremated.
The body does not feel pain during cremation because the person is no longer alive. When a person dies, their brain stops sending signals to the body. This means that the person cannot feel pain or any other sensation.
Hindus believe that the soul of the deceased stays attached to its body even after its demise, and by cremating the body, it can be set free. As a final act, a close family member forcefully strikes the burning corpse's skull with a stick as if to crack it open and release the soul.
If the coffin is sealed in a very wet, heavy clay ground, the body tends to last longer because the air is not getting to the deceased. If the ground is light, dry soil, decomposition is quicker. Generally speaking, a body takes 10 or 15 years to decompose to a skeleton.