A Morbid Poll I know.

Nurses General Nursing

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Now I know this may seem rather morbid to some. It really isnt meant to be. But as nurses some of the issues we have to face are the decisions that patients and families have made for the end of their life. This is a poll of what you think best applies to your thoughts and beliefs about how you would like to see the end of your life ceremony proceed. There are many different ceremonies and I cant begin to list them all.

Would you prefer.......

1 The standard traditional funeral in this country with either a closed or open casket followed by cemetery

internment with the usual body preparation at a funeral home.

2. Cremation

3. Cremation with your ashes being made into "Reef Ball" to help rebuild coral reefs.

4. Natural or green Burial, where after a viewing if wished you are buried in green or enviromentally safe fashion.

I know this is a morbid question , but I have been researching for a while. Just out of curiosity and some decisions I have had to help patients and their families with of late.

Did you know in a study, easily found on the net. That is an average 10 acre cemetery contains enough coffin wood to construct more than 40 homes, nearly 1000 tons of casket metal and another 20,000 tons of vault concrete. Add to that enough toxic embalming fluid to fill a backyard swimming pool, a human carcinogen. I can see why they are being considered as de facto landfills of nonbiodegradable materials. Classified by the EPA as hazardous waste. All this has amazed me to no end.

Specializes in Nursing Home ,Dementia Care,Neurology..

Anybody ever thought of leaving their bodies to a 'body farm'?

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Anybody ever thought of leaving their bodies to a 'body farm'?

warning: the following video clip from National Geographic, is extremely graphic.

Body Farm - National Geographic

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/science/health-human-body-sci/human-body/body-farm-sci.html

leslie

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Geriatrics.
sharon, your post made me think of my grandmother's funeral.

solid mahogany casket w/brass trim, and covered with white roses...all over and everywhere.

back in 1980, i remember my father saying the casket alone cost $6k.

i am just not understanding the expenses incurred.

leslie

lol, Leslie. Well here's the thing: I'm dead! I'm never going to cost you another penny. I mean, I'm big on frugality but geesh! I think I'm worth one last splurge. Especially as I have spent my life economizing and saving. :)

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Specializes in ICU,ER,med-Surg,Geri,Correctional.

Wife and I both agree go the route of the fire. My best friend died and they had his ashes in a box with a really nice picture of him at the funeral. It was a nice way to say goodbye. I work around death all the time as a nurse. But that funeral ,viewing and caskets stuff seems like a lot of social pressure on your way out..

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Family cemetery. I'd prefer a plain pine box - but state regulations require a vault, it seems. Oh, well. I'll lie in a beautiful place with people I love and miss.

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Specializes in ER,ICU,L+D,OR.
warning: the following video clip from National Geographic, is extremely graphic.

Body Farm - National Geographic

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/science/health-human-body-sci/human-body/body-farm-sci.html

leslie

That was wow

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Specializes in MICU, SICU, CRRT,.

I love the body farm thing!!! I want to tour it, although i have heard that is is very difficult. if not impossible, to do so. However, i do not want my body there..i think, in keeping with the traditions of my family, that it would be more closure to them to go the traditional route...i want a closed casket, and nothing big and fancy.

But the one thing that my husband and i disagree on..i do not want a double headstone. Say i die tomorrow (heaven forbid)...i would not expect him to stay single and never remarried, and to raise my children alone. Same with him...i may want to remarry someday..with a double stone, its like you are forever committed to being buried next to that person...i know that sounds unloving and all that, but i really dont want that expectation to always be there, if and when the situation arises.

I HATE flowers, so i dont want any..maybe a little spray on top of the casket, but as for everything else, please use your money for a better cause...buy something for your children, go out with your family, save it, donate it, whatever..just dont spend it on flowers that will be dead in a week (because God only knows my husband cant keep them alive).

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Specializes in Cardiology, ER, Hospice, Pediatrics.

Cremated, with my ashes spread on Longs Peak Colorado. Have a Memorial service and a big party please.

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Traditional.

Maybe green or natural... but I know nothing of this. Maybe I should look into it.

Oh...and please build a statue in my honor. j/k

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I don't want to be buried, it's a waste of land and space and a huge expense. What I really want is to have my organs donated, and then send my corpse to the Body Farm. If that isn't an option, then cremate me and have my ashes made into a diamond...or throw me to a pack of wild dogs, I won't care...I'm DEAD!

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Specializes in Retired OR nurse/Tissue bank technician.

my organs and tissues can be used, then i would prefer a standard burial. however, there is a funeral home here that has caskets that look like the real thing, only are a heavy gauge cardboard. it holds up to 500lb and would be more easily taken care of by the elements than a wooden or metal casket. it also costs a lot less than a standard casket.

as they get ready to lower me into the ground, the presiding pastor will have an 8.5"x11" sticker to put on top of the casket that says, in big red letters, "return to sender" :chuckle

for some reason, the idea of cremation is abhorrent to me; it feels like the corpse is being desecrated, disrespected. yet this is what both my grandmothers chose for disposal of their mortal remains, as have my parents. going under the assumption that the child will outlive their parents, i've got at least two trips to the crematorium to come. :(

my dad is the proverbial cheapskate; one time when we were discussing final wishes, he was ranting on and on about how i wasn't to waste huge amounts of money, just buy a pine box and put him in the ground or in the oven. i told him that i could handle his cremation for $100. thrilled, he asked how i could do that. i told him i'd rent a chainsaw and several bottles of propane and do the cremation on his bbq.

silly goose loved the idea. anything to save a few bucks. :twocents:

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I would go with creamation. I belive in god, and wouldn't mind in anyway if my loved ones chose to do my cermony in a church, but i think that i would rather have it done somware else like at my home or my grandpas cabin. For me, i feel that there is no need to spend a bunch of money on a dead person. once your dead, all the events to follow are for the ones who are still alive, so do something nice and inexpencive.

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