Does Weight Affect Funeral Service Cost?

Posted on April 18, 2022 by admin under Funeral Home
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Funeral homes in Mount Summit IN

Funeral homes in Mount Summit, IN adhere to the guidelines and safety procedures of local laws regarding funerary services and disposition processes. On the health front, medical offices still use a body mass index to indicate the overall health of a person. It’s not always an accurate measure of health, but for funeral homes, the weight and height of a person could determine a lot about the availability of some funerary arrangements and disposition measures.

Funeral services and disposition methods for obese individuals are called oversize burials or oversize cremations. Traditional coffins in the early 1900s t0 1980s were tapered towards the bottom to be widest around the shoulders and then taper down towards the legs. Nowadays, coffins are rectangular throughout to accommodate an increase in width, particularly in the United States.

Is the Cremation Process More Expensive for Obese Decedents?

Each funeral home and crematorium vary on their rules for arrangements and cremations of obese decedents. The weight where expenses increase is slightly different from one place to another. For example, some places may boost the price at 350 pounds, while others may boost costs at 400 pounds. Either way, cremation and funeral services can be anywhere from $100 to $800 more expensive than arrangements and dispositions for a decedent with an average BMI.

Does Cremation Involve Embalming the Decedent?

Loved ones can choose to have the decedent embalmed for the sake of preservation for funeral services. However, for direct cremation, embalming isn’t necessary.

For preservation purposes, loved ones can also have the decedent refrigerated for several days before a funeral service. This keeps decomposition at bay while giving the loved ones enough time to plan for a funeral and disposition method, like cremation or burial. The refrigeration method chills the tissue to two degrees Celsius, which is 33 degrees Fahrenheit. However, a body begins to quickly decompose within five hours of being out of the morgue refrigerator.

Unlike the embalming method, refrigeration slows the decomposition process without stopping it completely. It’s important to consider a method for preservation for funeral services, especially if there will be an opened casket to allow families and friends to say goodbye.

Does a Decedent Have Clothes on During Cremation?

Most decedents that are cremated arrive at the crematorium after funeral services. So, they are dressed in the best clothes that their loved ones picked out. In other cases, for things like direct cremations, decedents arrive wrapped in a sheet for the cremation process.

Decedents are placed in the retort (crematory oven) with clothes or sheets on. The fabric burns away quickly.

Does the Weight of a Person Determine How Much Their Ashes Weigh After Cremation?

The weight of the ashes that are left after the cremation process is determined by a decedent’s bone density. Fat burns away, leaving bone mass to be incinerated into “ashes.” Cremated remains, regardless of the size of a person in life, usually weigh between 4 to 6 pounds.

If you get cremated remains back after the cremation of an obese loved one, and they are heavy, it’s because of their bone mass. Bones are composed of minerals and salts, which are heavier than many people think.

Can Pallbearers Be Utilized in the Burial of an Obese Decedent?

People weighing up to 300 pounds will typically fit into a traditional coffin. Caskets are usually made of thick wood, adding another 160 to 200 pounds to the final weight of a decedent. Coffins can accommodate six to eight pallbearers.

It’s not the norm for pallbearers to be used during the funeral procession and burial of a person over 300 pounds. There are health risks, such as back injuries, that would deter the average pallbearer from wanting to shoulder the coffin of an obese decedent. If a person is too heavy for traditional pallbearers, inclusive of an oversize casket, then lifting equipment and trolleys are used to move the coffin.

Is it a Sign of Disrespect to Choose Disposition Without Funeral Services?

Funeral services are more for the living than the dead. They are ways for people to have closure and to help grieve and cope with the death of their loved ones. However, many choose to forgo funeral services. And that’s okay! There’s nothing saying that you have to have a funeral service. It’s not disrespectful to go ahead with cremation or burial while remembering a decedent in your own way.

In some cases, a decedent will be the one to have chosen disposition without funeral services. It’s the last wish in arrangements that were made before the deceased person died.

Are Teeth Burned Down During Cremation?

Bones are burned down to turn into cremated remains during the cremation process. Teeth are a kind of bone. Teeth will be burned into ash, and if there are remnants after the cremation, those will be ground to fine dust in a special machine.

For decedents with gold teeth, loved ones can opt to keep those teeth as keepsakes. This might be too morbid for some, but it’s common for a bereaved loved one to want to keep anything of their deceased friend, family member, or spouse.

How Long Does an Obese Body Take to Cremate?

Average decedents with average BMIs take two hours to fully cremate. Obese bodies (300 pounds or more) can take anywhereFuneral home in Mount Summit IN from four to five hours to cremate. Cremations work by burning the organic matter first, which would include hair, skin, and fat. The fat acts as fuel to keep the body in cremation mode.

The health and size of a person goes beyond what you might consider in life. Obesity could make funerary measures and disposition methods more of a challenge, especially if the decedent is 500 pounds or over. If you have more questions about funeral arrangements and disposition methods in terms of what is and is not possible for an obese decedent, you can call any one of the many funeral homes in Mount Summit, IN. Each one varies slightly in what is and is not allowed, so don’t be afraid to ask questions and join our news and events even if you are veterans.