Has Covid-19 Increased The Cremations In The USA?

Cremation Solutions

The novel coronavirus, which was detected in the metropolitan area of Wuhan in China’s central Hubei province, continues to infect people around the world, including the United States. Since its discovery in late December, COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by coronavirus, has infected over 3 million individuals, resulting in over 215,000 fatalities all over the world. While Spain, Italy, France, and the UK have posted over 20,000 deaths each, the US has recorded over 1 million coronavirus cases, a third of the world’s total infections, and over 57,000 deaths. That has put pressure on funeral homes and crematories across the country. Funeral homes are having to adjust to delays and the sadness of low attended funerals.

In New York, the hardest-hit state by the pandemic, there have been over 17,000 COVID-19-related deaths from a total of 295,137 infections. However, New York City has been the epicenter of the disease in the state, recording over 162,000 cases and 11,708 deaths as of Tuesday, March 28. While state administrations and health officials report that the number of fatalities has reached the backside of the death curve, funeral-home and crematory workers, whose duty is to ensure the dead are laid to rest respectfully, say they have never been busier.

Misinformation About Cremation Orders by the Government

Delayed FuneralsAs America continues to grapple with the pandemic, several images and reports on social media offer misguided information about what happens after people die from coronavirus. One particular image went viral, telling people that once a person is deceased, they become the government’s property and will be incinerated without wakes or funeral services.

The report has elicited contradicting responses from state agencies, medical examiners, and funeral directors. The NY Funeral Directors Association responded to the matter, saying: “We haven’t seen or heard of such claims. Funeral Homes in the state are still operating under the state guidelines.” Additionally, the New York State Department of Health noted that funeral homes, crematories, and cemeteries, being essential businesses, were allowed to remain operational, despite other non-essential businesses remaining closed. The deceased require a proper send-off, complete with a wake, structured funeral, and burial. Nonetheless, funeral homes will be required to adhere to social distancing and only allow a limited number of attendees during these gatherings.

Funeral Homes Forced to Turn Away Grieving Families, Suggesting Cremation

Cremation BoxesWith the increasing number of deaths in the US continue to surge, the demand for funeral services has drastically spiked. Many funeral homes have exceeded their capacities, with some caskets lying in unsuitable areas such as the lobbies and corridors. For instance, the Funeral Director at Lawrence H Woodward Funeral Home in Brooklyn, Kendall Lindsay, said, “By the end of March, we had over 120 planned funeral services. As of April 5, the number had increased to 127. We are now compelled not to register any new cases because of the dwindling storage space.”

Throughout the city, staffs in mortuaries, morgues, and funeral homes continue to scramble and find space for new COVID-19-related deaths. “We currently have bodies that cannot be buried now. We will have to postpone the funeral services and hold them after at least one week or more,” said Lindsay, who was forced to turn away 20 families, leaving them with no other option but to cremate their loved ones with no wakes or proper funeral arrangements.

Although they may be dealing with many cases awaiting proper funeral arrangements, it is quite unprofessional of funeral homes to deny survivors to have a wake before the funeral and burial. It robs families of deceased persons of the much-needed condolences and support during such a difficult time. That goes against our human principles and sentimental values. Funeral services allow survivors to eulogize and share stories about the dead loved one, which is critical in ensuring that the deceased has a respectable send-off. In NY Bodies left unclaimed are usually buried by the State on Hart Island.

Hart Island

The Immense Backlog at Crematories

Following the decision by funeral homes to take any additional cases, many families have resorted to cremating the remains of their beloved. The situation has grown so dire, prompting cemetery directors to air their concerns, term it as the highest surge in demand that has never been experienced in many decades.

A significant fraction of the New York population prefers cremating the dead instead of burials. Typically, the four crematories located in the US most densely populated city could comfortably offer cremation services. Still, the coronavirus pandemic has rendered them inadequate to cater to the ever-increasing number of bodies waiting to be cremated. With such an unprecedented backlog of bodies in crematories, it is clear that outdated laws on burials and cremations to be amended. According to these statutes, cremation facilities can only be confined to cemeteries. While there are over 40 cemeteries across the five boroughs in New York, there is only a limited number of crematories.

Among the four facilities, one is located in Brooklyn, one in the Bronx, and the other two in Queens. The surge in the number of bodies has put pressure on resources in crematories. Currently, a location that used to cremate ten bodies each day now has to deal with a more significant daily workload of 15 bodies. Others have to cremate double the number of bodies they would in a single day. That has forced the state government to ease restrictions on air-quality regulations in the bid to allow crematories to extend their hours of operations. Still, many families continue to ring them at odd hours, making these locations busier than they ever been in decades.

Shortening the Wait: Covid-19 Victims Transported Upstate for Cremation

As a result of that, the pressure trickles down to hospitals where “new” dead bodies are presented in morgues in large numbers. Patients who have passed on now have to spend more time in the morgue because the “government restrictions have made it challenging for families to make quick funeral arrangements.” Furthermore, doctors and nurses are delaying signing death certificates because of the increasing backlog and newly reported cases that occur in their hundreds every day. That presents a big problem because bodies cannot be transported to crematory facilities without a complete death certificate.

The situation is so dire that caskets containing bodies of Covid-19 victims have filled funeral homes. The last resort is to transport them upstate to help families to access cremation services as quickly as possible.

Associate professor of mortuary sciences, Mr. David Penepent, who manages the funeral services administration program at the New York State University in Canton, started the “Hands with a Heart” initiative that works to transport the bodies to crematories in upstate New York and other neighboring states where there the number of bodies awaiting cremation is still manageable.

Mr. Penepent was overwhelmed when he was greeted by the astonishing number of cardboard caskets with bodies at one of the funeral homes in Queens. With help from his two students, they wheeled out the bodies, first lining them in the hallway, before gently laying the boxes in one of their two vans destined for a crematory outside New York.

Since the start of April, the Hands with a Heart program has transported decedents from overwhelmed cremation facilities and funeral homes to crematories in far-off places such as Pennsylvania and Vermont. According to Mr. Penepent, “These are not simply bodies. We are handling people with families who love them. Therefore, we do this with care, compassion, dignity, and respect.”

During the Easter weekend, the initiative had successfully moved 70 bodies, followed by 150 the following week, and last week, 300 bodies were transported. The program comes as a relief to grieving families that could have otherwise waited for days and even weeks to access cremation services. It has also eased the pressure off funeral homes and hospital morgues that have been hit the hardest by the pandemic.

Why Such a Backlog in Crematories During the Covid-19 Pandemic?

To curb the spread of the new coronavirus, the federal and state governments have laid down measures to try and control the transmission rate of the disease. Virtually every state went in lockdown with administrative officials urging people to practice social distancing. That meant that businesses were closed, reducing the income for many would-be-working Americans. Further, over 26 million have filed unemployment claims. That said, the economic crisis has forced families to turn to the economic appeal of cremation as the only option. Hopefully many will have full blown memorial services once social distancing is a memory.

Cremation Memorials Are More Important Than Ever!

With the lack of public funerals and the support that they bring to survivors. People are spending their money in more creative ways starting with visual online funerals and memorial pages where people can pay tribute from home. Keepsakes and jewelry that holds ashes inside is a way that people have been using to help bring comfort to the loss while keeping a physical part of their loved one closer, with no need to visit a cemetery.

Click Here For Our Full Selection of Crystals Made From Ashes
Crystal Gems Made From Ashes
Ashes in glass
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Scientist Conclude When You Die You Are Still Aware!

Cross Roads
Standing At The Crossroads

What happens when we die? This common question may be one you’ve thought about before. You may have religious views. You may believe nothing happens. However, science has shed new light on what actually does happen in those minutes – sometimes hours – after a person dies.

In a recently released study, researchers found that the human brain is completely aware of what happens at the time of death. In fact, the brain remains alive and functioning for minutes or even hours after a person dies. That’s shocking to most. And, it is also terrifying. What does this mean?

Take a Closer Look at the Study

Death
SCIENCE SAYS!…not dead

The study, conducted by Stony Brook University in New York looked at 2,000 people who reported having near death experiences – these are instances in which the person was technically dead and then were resuscitated. Each one tells of a different story, but all convey one clear message. They all are fully aware of what is happening around them. Many recognize that they are dead. Others see a light or have an out of body experience.

What researchers have learned is that when a person dies, the brain can remain functional for minutes to hours after the death. Medically, a person is considered dead when the heart stops beating. When this occurs, there is no more flow of oxygen-rich blood to the organs. The organs slowly stop working. This includes the brain. Yet, the instant the heart stops does not translate into the instant the brain stops. The residual amounts of oxygen in the blood system, which remains present for some time, can keep the brain functional. It takes time for the brain’s lack of oxygen to finally cease its ability to function.

During that time – from the moment the heart stops until a person’s brain stops function – the person’s awareness may still be fully in place. The person who may be technically dead from a lack of a heart beat may still understand what is happening around them.

An Explanation for Near Death Experiences

Cremation PlanningMany people report having some type of experience after their heart stops. These individuals, who have been brought back through medical intervention, report a wide range of occurrence. In some situations, they report a bright light. Others report being transformed into a ball of energy and floating over themselves. They clearly see the people around them. Many report hearing and understanding the conversations that doctors have around them.

Many near death experiences provide very detailed information about what happens around the person when he or she dies. For example, some people report seeing specific doctors or hearing specific voices. Some people have had this information verified – information they would not have known had they not been about to communicate it in this manner. What makes this interesting is that many men and women with near death experiences often attribute what they feel to an experience they have never had before.

Could this be the feeling of oxygen slowly leaving their brain?

Imagine for a moment what could actually be happening according to the New York University. A person’s heart stops. In that moment of death, blood is still traveling to the brain. The brain continues to work. It continues to allow an individual to know and recognize what is happening around them. They cannot speak or move, but the brain still tries to function as it has. The oxygen present allows the brain to work, but it is not the steady flow of oxygen the brain needs to work properly. This creates a different perception of reality around them. And, what the brain is telling the person that is happening – the out of body experiences – seem very lifelike and real. That’s because they are. The brain is communicating this in some manner.

The Medical Component of the Research

Online Death Certifiacte InformationWhat the researchers found, scientifically, is that the brain continues to fire off signals. The neurons are still operating at the time of the heart stopping. They do not immediately stop working. Rather, the neurons begin to fail over a few minutes or longer as oxygen depletion leads to their destruction.

The heart’s job in life is to pump blood that is full of oxygen to the brain and other organs. Imagine, for a moment, how it works to feed other organs. For example, oxygen is necessary for the digestive system to work. It is necessary for the kidneys to work. Yet, when the heart stops, do those organs simply stop functioning immediately? What many people think of as death – a sudden process where the entire process shuts down – is not accurate. The process of death takes longer, even when a person cannot talk and communicate a message.

Why Some Have the Experience And Others Do Not

Questions remain in understanding what occurs after death. For example, studies indicate that only 60 percent of the people have died – had their heart stop – and were brought back to life have no after death experience. They do not remember anything happening. They do not have any type of bright light to follow. Research is still out on why this happens to so many, but it could be attributed to a faster rate at which the brain dies. In some cases, the brain can die faster due to the lack of oxygen in the blood stream leading up to the death.

What This Means to You and Your Loved Ones

Researchers are continuing to look at the body of evidence brought forward by these near death experiences. All are very vast and wide ranging. And, as medical science improves to allow people to be resuscitated further from that moment of death, it may be possible to better understand what truly happens. Yet, for those living today, this could signal a time to carefully reflect on wishes and needs.

No matter what you believe happens after your death, religious or not, one thing is for sure. While you are alive, you have the ability to live a full life. Many of the men and women who have had these types of experiences feel profoundly different after they have been brought back. Many feel empowered to help others. Still, others embrace their religion more fully.

Ahhhh The Afterlife

As science continues to work to understand why this is, it may be important to reflect on your own wishes and needs. If you have not created a will or put an estate plan in place, now would be a good time to do so. You can also find a variety of tools available to help you to plan each detail of your end of life wishes. You can also purchase cremation urns, if you like, in advance.

For those planning their loved one’s final resting place or purchasing cremation jewelry to honor their loved one, take a moment to reflect on what this new study could mean for them. Could it mean your loved one remains aware of your presence after his or her death? Could it help you to believe there is an afterlife?

Researchers say they will continue to work to uncover more insight into what happens after death. As they do, we can count on many men and women sharing their stories of near death experiences and what they could mean for our future, too.