1. Your loved one has died. Now what? Death occurred where? Home, Hospital, Highway, Hospice If at Home, expected or unexpected? Your Choice: Call a Funeral Home Care for the body yourself 1 Texas Legalities— Moving a Dead Body

2. Call a Funeral Home Pros  Easier.  Everything is handled without your assistance.  “Experts” take care of everything and they “know the drill.”  No dead body in your home. Cons  You’re denied the privilege of caring for your loved one’s body  The F.H. is calling the shots. Must conform to their schedule.  More expensive. Some families would rather use the $$ saved for family needs. 2

3. Video – Home Funerals 3

4.  Embalming?  – No need. Bad for the environment.  Most F.H. require embalming & hair/makeup if you plan to have a “viewing.”  No laws in any State require embalming.  Common carriers (airlines/trains) usually require embalming.  Cost – Refer to handout of newest price list by NFDA—median cost is ~$8,500, excluding cemetery plot, opening & closing of grave, monument. 4 Funeral Home – Things You Should Know

5.  Embalming-formaldehyde? No need. Dry ice will keep a body fresh for 3-5 days.  Cost – Casket, dry ice, transportation costs  Mail a “Report of Death” Form VS-115 to county where death occurred.  Denton County Vital Statistics,  1029 W Rosemeade Pkwy,  Carrollton, TX 75007 5 Home Funeral – Things You Should Know

6.  Easiest when a loved one has been ill for a time and there’s adequate time to make preparations  Easiest when the decedent died at home  Not advisable if an autopsy was performed or if the body is damaged from an accident, etc. 6 Home Funeral – Not for Everyone

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10.  Typical burial in a cemetery – grave or mausoleum (above ground grave)  Columbarium with niches holds urns containing cremains, often each niche will hold 2 urns for husband/wife, etc.  Green (natural) burial.  Alternative & unusual body disposal. 10 Burials

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12. Video – Green Burials 12

13.  Trend started in Europe. Becoming more popular in U.S.  Objective is for body to decompose quickly:  No embalming!  Shroud mad from “natural” fiber fabrics (cotton, silk, wool).  If using casket, no metal casket; no metal “on” casket  No vault  Usually no monument unless native rock or native tree. 13 Green (natural) Burial

14.  Natural “preserve” where the land is kept as pristine as possible…  Native trees and landscape preserved.  Type of grave “marker” varies.  GPS coordinates to locate gravesite.  Eloise Woods Natural Burial Park, Austin, TX  Hybrid cemeteries:  Skyvue Memorial Gardens, Mansfield, TX  Mount Olivet Cemetery, Fort Worth, TX 14 Two types of “green” cemeteries

15.  How much should you pay for cremation?  Average in DFW is ~$3,000-$4,000  Least expensive for a “direct cremation” is ~$850 (Martin Thompson & Son-Fort Worth, Jim’s Funeral Home-Hurst)  It pays to shop arond– FTC’s “Funeral Rule” requires a funeral home to tell you their prices on the phone or in person 15 Cremations

16.  New methods:  Urban Death Project – body at top, compost at bottom. Kickstarter.  Promessa Organic Burial – Frozen, vibrated into dust.  Alkaline hydrolysis- machine made in Indiana, illegal to use in Indiana but legal in 11 States. 16 Cremations (con’t)

17.  U.S. Navy will take cremains of any veteran and dispose of them at sea at no cost.  a veteran/spouse is entitled to free burial in a federal VA cemetery)  Businesses along the seacoasts will take the family cruise where a family can dispose of cremains at sea.  EternalReefs.com $5-7,000. Cremains incorporated into a Reef ball providing habitat for ocean life forms 17 Cremains disposal

18. Alkaline Hydrolysis machine Legal – 11 States 18

19.  Owned by SCI (Service Corporation International) hq in Houston.  Costs ~$2,000 if you die near where you live or ~$2,600 if you die anywhere in the world.  Pros and cons of SCI 19 Neptune Society-Cremation

20.  To advance medical science.  Doctors practice new procedures on cadavers  Knee replacements, hip replacements, heart surgery, brain surgery, etc.  Future doctors practice and learn in order to pass their exams.  Some bodies are used for forensic testing; auto crash testing, etc. (Advised to inquire about use of body) 20 Whole Body Donation – Why?

21.  UT Southwestern Medical School (Dallas)  UNT Health Sciences Center (Fort Worth)  Parker University (Chiropractic - Dallas)  Baylor Dental College (Dallas)  No/nominal cost to family. Death in DFW.  Cremains returned to family afterwards. 21 Whole Body Donation - Local

22.  http://finalrights.org/body-donations/non-academic-whole- body-donation-programs/ http://finalrights.org/body-donations/non-academic-whole- body-donation-programs/  Some companies make money by selling body parts; other companies are non-profit. It’s illegal for individuals, but legal for licensed companies.  http://www.icij.org/human-corpses-are-prize-global-drive- profits http://www.icij.org/human-corpses-are-prize-global-drive- profits 22 Whole Body Donation – Internet Non-Profit & For Profit identified

23.  Common reasons bodies are not accepted:  Autopsy or serious accident.  Obesity (250+ lbs) OR emaciated people.  Anyone with a contagious disease such as TB.  HIV/Aids, Hep B or C, syphilis,  Severe bacterial or viral infection.  Unusual circumstances 23 Who Is Disqualified to Donate?

24.  Normally, anyone who is an organ donor cannot also be a whole body donor. The only exception: corneas.  Usually, corneas can be donated, and still qualify for whole body donation (corneas must be promptly harvested) 24 Organ Donor vs Whole Body Donor

25.  Contact info.  Elva Roy  Ambassadors For Aging  Email elvaroy@tx.rr.comelvaroy@tx.rr.com  Cell (817) 557-5700  www.ambassadorsforaging.org www.ambassadorsforaging.org 25 Q&A