![]() By then, it’s typically too late. Nature has already begun her process, and this is when families may witness purging of the body. They may then decide at the eleventh-hour to keep the body for another two days, and then expect dry ice to miraculously cool the body and maintain the body’s current condition. They may slowly evolve to the idea of keeping the body at home after death, during which time the body may not be cooled. The biggest issue regarding the application of dry ice is whether families are decided or not about their plans for a home funeral vigil. How long is the family anticipating holding their home funeral vigil?Ī. The following are considerations and advice if dry ice is chosen as the primary cooling method. Room ventilation is imperative to accommodate off-gassing for the safety of the living. It also requires special handling to avoid burning the skin of either the user or the deceased. In many parts of the country, dry ice is difficult to come by. Techni-ice is available from Amazon be sure to purchase heavy-duty. Some prefer to encase the activated sheets in a pillowcase or ornamental cloth, or add the changing of the ice to the ritual process. Each sheet can be cut to fit the dimensions needed for the individual, beneath and on top of the torso, and switched out as necessary with little disturbance. As the body cools, the time of effectiveness lengthens until, in many cases, it is no longer required. ![]() Once activated, the sheets stay effective up to 3-4 hours when used beneath and on top of a cooling body. Polymer refrigerants are highly recommended for their long life, reusability, absence of off-gassing or condensation, size versatility, and relative ease of activating and using for family members. The following is a discussion of various acceptable cooling techniques that may need to be improvised upon, depending on the length of vigil, sheltering time, burial circumstances and logistics. ( To learn more information pertinent to cooling requirements throughout the U.S., see State Home Funeral Requirements.) In the absence of embalming of any sort, cooling the body is of paramount importance.Įach state has different rules and regulations regarding method, time elapsed, whether dry ice is considered refrigeration and several other considerations, so it is vital that both the family and the funeral director know those parameters at the outset. This necessitates shifting paradigms and practices that eschew the use of toxic chemicals. Thirty years later, he came full circle, writing once again this book with a timeless message: People in grief need sacred moments and they need compassionate and caring professionals who are willing to provide those moments for them.įor clergy or anyone called upon to help families provide a funeral or memorial service for their loved one.Home funeral and green burial families are eager to care for their loved ones as naturally as possible. But, he never lost his initial hope-that he could impress upon ministers the importance of a meaningful, personalized and individualized funeral service based upon a family meeting and a partnership with the funeral profession. ![]() He has traveled the world with his speaking engagements and helped thousands of people. Since that time, Doug has authored over thirty-five books, audio, and video products clearly focused on helping people during difficult life transitions. He sold these books out of his garage and did pretty well for a first effort. He titled his book A Minister Speaks About Funerals and hoped the message of truly touching people at their most desperate time of need would change how his profession thought about funerals. He wanted to reach his fellow clergy members sharing some of the lessons he had learned while walking with people on their grief journeys. In 1978 a young minister sat down to write his first book. ![]()
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