Monthly Archives: March 2019

Funeral Home Grief Support

As much as we would prefer, the sadness and mourning associated with death doesn’t end at the funeral home. That’s why funeral homes in Oakland, CA and beyond usually offer resources and guidance for extra grief support. From connections to online support groups and resources to in-house counseling, funeral homes offer a range of grief services.

The following is a list of online resources for coping with bereavement and grief to give you additional grief support you can seek on your own if you need it. This list includes convenient online support like professional counselors, community sites, and bloggers you can access from home at any time.

Light A Candle: This website has a page where people can “light” a digital candle in honor of their lost loved one. You can attach a name, date or photo to the candle, too.
Resources for Survivors of Suicide: This group emphasizes that you are not alone when you lose a loved one through suicide. They offer different tools, interactive online supports and more.
National Child Traumatic Stress Network: The NCTSN helps support kids who have gone through trauma from death of a loved one to injuries. They strive to reinforce stability and healing.
The Grief Recovery Method: The Grief Recovery Method is a website developed by the Grief Recovery Institute. It has lots of valuable grief information, and been a leading resource for 30 years.
National Center for Victims of Crime: This organization voices and supports abuse and crime survivors. They have a broad focus, but offer help to a wide variety of victims and surviving family.
Association of Death Education and Counseling: ADEC has over 2,000 members, including physical and mental health professionals, educators, funeral directors, and clergymen. They host grief conferences, workshop and seminars frequently.
Open to Hope: Open to Hope is a non-profit that helps people find hope again after a loss. They offer community support, articles, books, and more to help people work through their loss and start to love meaningful and happy lives while working through their grief.
The Sweeney Alliance: Founded by Peggy Sweeney, this non-profit offers a range of programs for adults and children who’ve suffered a loss. Check out their regular newsletters and online resources.
Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors Inc: TAPS specifically serves families who’ve lost a member of the military through peer-based support.

Getting support for your grief is never a bad thing. Rather than feeling shame, feel pride in the strength it takes to realize you need help and seek that help.

If you want to learn more about grief support resources like these, or have additional questions about Oakland, CA funeral homes and their services, Deer Creek Funeral Service can help. You can stop by and visit us at 20630 Redwood Rd Castro Valley, CA 94546, or give us a call at (510) 317-7890. We would be happy to help you in any way we can.

Green Cremations

Climate change and environmental consciousness are hot topics these days. From recycling and reducing plastic use to sustainable energy sources, people are trying everything they can to be green. What about body disposition? Are cremations in Hayward, CA better for the environment than other disposition methods? If not, are there any options for a greener burial or cremation?

This basic cremation method does have slight environmental impact as is requires the burning of fossil fuels achieve the intense heat necessary to break down a body. However, it is better than traditional burial as it doesn’t involve embalming or other harsh pollutants being put into the ground.

There are other greener cremation services available thanks to modern advancements and awareness. Green cremation services take a few more steps to make the entire process cleaner and more eco-friendly. Green cremations, or natural cremations and eco-cremations, use no harmful or toxic chemicals to treat or embalm the body. This reduces the amount of harmful gases released during the cremation.

Another type of green cremation service is bio-cremation. Bio-cremation uses alkaline hydrolysis, or water resolution, to break down the body. The body is put inside a special chamber filled with potassium hydroxide, water, heat and pressure for a few hours. Over time, the elemental combination break down the body into bone fragments just like traditional cremation services. The remains from bio-cremation can be scattered or buried just like traditional remains. Bio-cremation uses much less fossil fuel and energy, and does not let off as much gas or emissions. As its still a fairly new method, bio-cremation is not readily available and may be more expensive.

You personally can take steps to make cremation services greener. A few ways you can help out are:

Remove any dental fillings before the cremation. When dental amalgams are burned, they release a lot of harmful mercury gas into the air. BY removing the amalgams before the cremation, you are helping prevent these emissions.
Choose to scatter the remains post-cremation. Buried remains use up ground space with caskets, and any chemicals leftover from the process could seep into the ground. Scattering takes up less space!
Use eco-friendly cremation caskets. These are specially built to not release any harmful gases or chemicals when burned, over traditional caskets that are made with chemicals and products that do not burn well.
If you do choose to bury the remains, do so in a natural urn or container that breaks down naturally. Choose a receptacle made out of handmade paper or Himalayan rock salt.

If you want more information on how you can be greener even in death, or want to learn more about Hayward, CA cremations, contact Deer Creek Funeral Service. We have years of experience in the cremation industry, and would be happy to help you in any way we can. You can visit us in person at 20630 Redwood Rd Castro Valley, CA 94546, or give us a call at (510) 317-7890.

Important Funeral Home Terminology

Preparation will make any difficult situation better, and what’s more difficult than a loss? Use this list of important funeral home terminology to be better prepared in the event of the loss of a loved one, or to better plan for your eventual passing and funeral in a funeral home in Hayward, CA.

Bereaved: The deceased’s loved ones or immediate family.
Burial Certificate: A legal document authorizing burial. The same documents apply to cremations, and it made by your local government.
Death Certificate: A document proving the cause of death, generally issued by the deceased’s doctor.
Columbarium: A wall with niches or holes in which cremation urns are housed.
Committal Service: A service in which the body is buried or interred.
Cremains: Another word for cremated remains.
Crematory: The furnace in which bodies are cremated. It can also refer to the building that houses the furnace.
Death Notice: An article or newspaper section announcing someone’s death and providing funeral or memorial details.
Embalm: Preserving a dead body by running preservative fluids through the arteries and veins.
Eulogy: A speech praising, remembering and celebrating the deceased’s life.
Exhume: Digging up the remains of someone who was already buried.
Flower Car: The car or vehicle used to transport the flowers from the church and/or cemetery to the funeral home.
Funeral Director: The man or woman who works with the bereaved to plan and execute a funeral service and all accompanying details. Generally, funeral directors maintain or run funeral homes.
Funeral Spray: A floral tribute traditionally given to the bereaved at a funeral.
Grave Liner: A wooden, metal or concrete casing that holds the casket in the ground. Grave liners help prevent the ground around the grave from sinking for safety and help keep the grass above the grave level as the earth settles for aesthetics.
Pallbearers: Family, friends, or religious members that help carry the casket.
Memorial Service: A service held to honor the deceased when the body is not present.
Mortuary: Another word for a funeral home.
Obituary: A death notice in a newspaper or on a website that gives a small biography of the deceased and often includes a photo.
Plot: A piece of land, usually owned by an individual or a family, that’s reserved for two or more graves.
Reposing Room: A room in a funeral home that stores the body until the burial or funeral.
Vault: Almost synonymous with grave liner, but vaults tend to be more expensive. Vaults are usually made of wood, metal or concrete.
Viewing: The time at which friends, family or funeral goers can view the casket.

The more you prepare now, the easier your experience in a Hayward, CA funeral home will be. If you want more information, you can reach out to Deer Creek Funeral Service. Please visit us at 20630 Redwood Rd Castro Valley, CA 94546, or give us a call today at (510) 317-7890.

How To Talk To Your Family About Preplanning Your Cremation

You know how important it is to preplan your Walnut Creek, CA cremation, but do you also know that you should talk to your family and loved ones about your plans? As necessary as this conversation is, it can also be very difficult. Loved ones don’t want to think about losing you, much less talk about the details of your cremation.

As hard as it is to talk about preplanning, your family will appreciate it in the long run. If you’re ready to start preplanning for your cremation, but aren’t quite sure how to breach the subject with your loved ones, use the following tips to help:

Know What You Want – Don’t try and talk to your family about your post-death wishes until you know what they are. Take time before you bring up the subject to research, think about and decide precisely what you want. What kind of service do you want? Do you want a burial or cremation? Viewing or visitation? What’s the budget? Once you know the answer to those questions, you’ll be better able to express your concrete wishes to your family.

Get Ready For High Emotions: While you’ve taken time to plan and get used to the idea of your own passing, your family and loved one’s most likely have not. The people you love will need some time to process all the emotions associated with your probable, eventual or impending death and loss. They might get angry with you, experience denial about the conversation’s necessity, or be just plain sad at the idea of losing you. If things get too emotional, take a break and continue the conversation once everyone has calmed down a bit.

Listen and Answer: Even though your final wishes are ultimately your decision and all about what you want, your loved ones will still want to have some input. Be ready to listen to their concerns and to answer any questions they might have. If you don’t have the answer right away, take the time you need to come up with one.

Stay Strong: While its important to listen to what your family has to say about your final wishes, it’s still mostly your decision at the end of the day. Don’t be afraid to be firm about what you want, and stand up for decisions that are important to you. Once you’ve come to a decision everyone can be happy with, it’s a great idea to have a legal document drawn up with all the details so there are no questions after you’re gone.

While discussing your death with your loved ones will never be easy, it’s always worth it because preplanning will give everyone peace of mind.

If you would like more assistance with preplanning a cremation in Walnut Creek, CA, Deer Creek Funeral Service can help. Please visit us at 20630 Redwood Rd Castro Valley, CA 94546, or give us a call at (510) 317-7890.

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