When someone dies suddenly it can be difficult to know what to expect. Unless there’s a Notification of Expected Death in the Home or No CPR form already in place, all deaths are treated as unexpected, and the first step is to call 911. This connects you with BC Emergency Health Services, who coordinate the response from ambulance, police, and…
When we lose someone dear to us, how do we say goodbye? For centuries, families tended to their deceased loved ones at home, embracing the rituals and tasks of care as a natural part of life. Today, most turn to funeral homes for assistance. However, a growing number of people are rediscovering the intimacy and connection of home funerals. While…
This information was mainly extracted from a video by Sarah Kerr from the Centre for Sacred Death Care. A funeral service is a focused intentional ritual that facilitates healing. When done well, it serves the person who has died, the close family and friends, and the larger community. This requires a structure able to hold the depth of grief and…
As you think about being kind to those you leave behind, consider the question of what a “good death” might look like for you. Would you prefer to die at home, surrounded by friends and family, if that were possible? Or would you like just one or two people by your side, and if so, who? If there is pain…
At our local Quadra Library, there is now a shelving unit of books dedicated to topics relating to caregiving and end-of-life. As you come through the entrance, turn immediately to the right and you will see it bside the magazines. Community members are invited to browse the titles. If you see one you’d like to borrow, jot down the date, book title, and…
Many people are not aware that in British Columbia it is legal to care for a body at home. Family and friends are allowed to sit with, wash, dress, and otherwise tend to the body. They can build a casket, make funeral arrangements, and provide transportation to the cemetery or crematorium. There is no legal requirement to use the services…
Typically when we make funeral arrangements, we rely on a licensed funeral home to provide the transportation for human remains. However, a legal representative of the deceased (executor, next-of-kin) can take personal responsibility for the transfer of their deceased loved one. The body must be handled in a safe, dignified and respectful manner; there are processes to follow and there is paperwork…
When a person dies in British Columbia, burial or cremation cannot legally take place until the death has been registered with the Vital Statistics Agency. The executor named in the Will is responsible for this (if no Will, then the next of kin). Although it is usual to hire a licensed funeral director to do this and other death-related tasks, the registration…
Before the 1860’s, families and communities took care of their own dead. Historian Mark Harris noted in his book, Grave Matters, that it was after the American Civil War this changed. The bodies of fallen soldiers were routinely embalmed before being transported back to their families in the north. In 1865, Abraham Lincoln’s embalmed body was viewed publicly for two weeks…
After a loved one dies, why keep the body at home? What advantages are there to undertaking the death related tasks ourselves? Don Morris, a death educator from Victoria and one of our teachers, has written the following: Enhances participation – Home funeral vigils offer opportunities for participation which fosters healing from grief. Rochelle Martin of Ontario’s Home Funeral Alternatives says, “family…