But the outcome of embalming is really variable, and often leads to changes that people find unnatural. The point of embalming is to delay any physical changes to the body, and ‘freshen up’ someone’s appearance. What to expect from a more natural approach Planning a funeral? Find out what choices are available and the likely costs. But in reality, embalming often happens because it benefits funeral companies rather than the person who has died or their family. Ideally, embalming should be chosen freely by someone who knows exactly what it will involve. These central hubs can be far away, which is a problem when someone isn’t embalmed and needs to be transported back to the local branch - where they’ll need to stay long enough for friends and family to visit. Instead, there will be a large central hub where people who have died are kept cool. Large companies have smaller local branches, which often don’t have any refrigeration. In part, it’s because embalming can be convenient for some funeral directors. So how is it that embalming has become such an entrenched part of funerals? In fact, the only time there’s a legal requirement to embalm is when someone who has died is being repatriated. Too many funeral directors still treat embalming as the default option and disguise what happens by calling it ‘hygienic treatment.’ Embalming can be important to some families, and may be absolutely right for them - the issue is that it may not be presented clearly and as a personal choice.īut embalming is entirely unnecessary for any hygienic or legal reasons. But we’ve got used to death being hidden away and controlled by gatekeepers like funeral directors, who aren’t always transparent about the choices you have.Īt Poppy’s, we believe this is something that needs to change. In the UK, embalming hasn’t always been this common. Although a growing number of people are hoping for an eco-friendly funeral, there hasn’t been any rapid decline in embalming rates - and it’s time to ask why.Įmbalming shouldn’t be the default option There’s evidence that suggests they might affect our groundwater sources and the surrounding land. Unfortunately, embalming isn’t wonderful for the environment because of the chemicals it uses. In both cases, embalming is quite invasive and usually doesn’t serve any practical purpose. Embalmers also use stitches to close someone’s jaw, and spiked eye-caps to keep the eyelids shut.Īlternatively, there’s a partial embalming procedure called ‘a facial,’ where the jaw is sutured and eye-caps inserted, but no chemicals are used. Embalming replaces all of the body’s natural fluids with a preservative liquid, which includes pink dye and usually formaldehyde. Planning a funeral? Find out more about Poppy's and our natural approach to death careĮmbalming isn’t something that gets talked about often, which means that it’s not always clear what really takes place. Here’s what embalming really involves and why we prefer a natural approach. That’s because roughly half of us will be embalmed, even though there’s no legal or hygienic reason why we should be. Would you choose to be embalmed? There’s no right or wrong answer, but it’s certainly worth considering.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |