Funeral arrangements cause most death-related family feuds

Whatsyourgrief.com lists funerals as the seventh most common cause of dispute. The research highlights that funerals rank highly amongst other emotive issues such as money, how belongings should be divided, and decisions over end-of-life care.

Sources of disagreement included:

Should a loved one be buried or cremated?

Where should the service be held?

Where should their final resting place be?

And – who should and shouldn’t come to the funeral?

These are just some of the issues that can result in an argument between grieving relatives of the deceased. And when you only have one or two weeks to sort out the details it doesn’t leave much time for families with different ideas to reach a compromise.

With Pure Cremation, there is an alternative

According to Catherine Powell, Customer Experience Director of Pure Cremation (believed to be the only dedicated provider of direct cremation in England and Wales), there is no need for families to be subjected to such distress.

More and more people are choosing direct cremation

• A direct or ‘Pure Cremation’ is the simple separation of the cremation from the celebration of life which can then be held at a time and place to suit family and friends. It is an option which is growing in popularity as a more personal alternative to a traditional funeral.
• Crucially a direct cremation gives mourners the time they need to think about what their loved one may have wanted, and reach agreement on a memorial service or a celebration of life which can incorporate input from everyone, enabling them to say goodbye in an appropriate way.
• In North America, direct cremations now represent more than 30% of cremations as more and more people are moving away from the traditional burials , instead opting for a simple, cost effective option.

Catherine said: “Losing a loved one is arguably one of life’s most traumatic experiences. Emotions are running high and family arguments over conflicting ideas compound the stress and heartache we feel.” “We’re finding that while more and more people are making a positive choice to hold a direct cremation it also helps those families whose loved ones left no express wishes before they died.”

Direct cremations become more popular in the UK

• Industry figures in the UK too are showing a ten-fold rise from 0.3 per cent in 2015 to 3.5 per cent last year.

Catherine added: “There may be a whole host of reasons why people may choose a direct cremation above a burial or more traditional cremation with a funeral, mourners, limousines and flowers.”

“There are many people out there who simply don’t want a fuss after they die. Others would prefer their family to save the cost of a full-blown funeral either to spend on themselves or to put towards a celebration of life for their extended family and friends.

Essentially a direct cremation gives the bereaved the chance to have their loved one cremated within a reasonable time, without the pressure of trying to plan the perfect send-off in just a matter of days.” Catherine concludes.