Estate Planning

A Movement to Bring Funerals Home

By Hull & Hull LLP

The New York Times recently featured an article on the growing trend of at home funerals in the United States. A home funeral can involve anything from holding the visitation for a deceased love one at home, to burying the individual in, say, his backyard (with the appropriate permit, of course). 

There are a few reasons for the increase in popularity. To begin with, there are substantial cost savings to be had. The average cost of funeral home services in the United States is $6,000.00. On top of that, there is the additional expense of the burial or cremation. In contrast, for a home funeral where the deceased is being buried in the backyard, the expense can be limited to the coffin used for burial. Even if the deceased's loved ones opt for a burial in a cemetery or a cremation, the family can still save the cost of the funeral parlour by having the visitation at home. 

A second reason is the desire on the part of those making the arrangements to have a more intimate and informal experience when bidding goodbye to a loved one (there is also an increase in people pre-planning their own home funerals). Rather than outsourcing the planning to the funeral industry, family members are able to say goodbye on their own terms and without feeling like the process has been 'commercialized'. 

The article compares the growth in home funerals to the growth in home births that started to occur about thirty years ago. It should come as no surprise that home funerals are developing into an industry of their own. There are currently more than forty five organizations/individuals in the U.S. devoted to helping people plan home funerals (the job title for someone who assists in the planning process is a 'death midwife').   

With the growth in the home funeral industry, various states are starting to take steps to regulate the practice (with the support of the traditional funeral industry!). For example, Oregon has passed a law requiring that death midwives be licensed in order to provide services. Nevertheless, the trend in home funerals shows no signs of slowing and appears to be part of a larger shift to natural and less expensive burials. 

Have a great day!

Megan F. Connolly  

Full post as published by Toronto Estate Law Blog on July 22, 2009 (boomark / email).