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Why Do Funeral Directors Ask About Pacemakers?
October 7, 2022
To avoid injury and damages, pacemakers are routinely removed from decedents to avoid the risk of explosion during cremation. The repairs on a crematorium chamber can be very expensive. Similarly, jewellery, beverages, and glass or metal items can cause damage to a crematorium chamber too. It is regular practice to remove these items prior to cremation and return them to the family or place them in the urn with the cremated remains as a keepsake.
There is a risk of electrical shock during the removal process so a pacemaker should only be removed by a trained licensed funeral director. A funeral director will make an incision above where the pacemaker is implanted. The pacemaker is then removed from the incision and the wires are cut. Some funeral directors take the extra precaution to demagnetize the pacemaker as well. Pacemakers are often donated or recycled. Some families wish to have them returned.
If a casket burial is taking place rather than a cremation, the pacemaker is often buried with the deceased. Pacemakers can pose environmental hazards depending on the type of battery, so please seek guidance from your funeral professional.
Basic Funerals and Cremation Choices adhere to strict regulations and procedures for the respect of the decedent, the care of the families we serve, and for the safety of our associates working at crematoriums.
If you have questions about other safety measures or other aspects of arranging for a cremation
, please feel free to reach out to our team.
The post Why Do Funeral Directors Ask About Pacemakers? appeared first on Basic Funerals.
Funeral Directors routinely ask families during the arrangement process about pacemakers. Standard safety precautions are in place because of the explosive potential of pacemakers when heated. Pacemakers explode during the cremation process because of the rapid formation of gas which bursts the pacemaker’s casing. An explosion during the cremation process could cause serious damage to the crematorium chamber, as […]
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When a death occurs in the winter months, it is quite common that the burial can’t take place until the spring. Our region has long, cold winters and this hinders a cemetery’s ability to conduct burials due to the frozen ground. It is not unusal for many families in our smaller communities thoughout Ontario to […]
The post The Ritual of Spring Burials In Local Cemeteries appeared first on Basic Funerals.
Tax rules are often complicated and never fun. In the case of pre-arrangements that is no different. When you pre-arrange your funeral there are some things to consider from a tax perspective that we hope to cover here. We will do our best, but unfortunately, we are not accountants and can’t give you personal advice […]
The post Death and Taxes appeared first on Basic Funerals.
The funeral industry is changing. Catapulting that change are women like The Grave Woman, Joél Simone Anthony. She is based in Atlanta, Georgia, but is making waves all over the United States with her alternative approach to funeral service. We had the pleasure of speaking with her and learning more about her work. Joél Simone Anthony […]
The post The Grave Woman appeared first on Basic Funerals.
Living without a will may relieve a person from having to think about their own mortality. Living without a will may also save a person some time and money. However, dying without a will can cause grave challenges and obstacles for those left behind. Dying in intestate means that the deceased person did not leave a Will. […]
The post Intestate: Dying Without A Will and How it Impacts Funeral Arrangements appeared first on Basic Funerals.
Being appointed an Executor is often seen as an honour, but it can also be an extremely daunting task. The person selected to look after estate matters is often also likely to be the person grieving the most. In an effort to alleviate the stress associated with being an Executor or Administrator, we have compiled […]
The post Prepare Your Estate: Your Executor Will Thank You appeared first on Basic Funerals.
Basic Funerals has been listed as one of the Top 3 Best-Rated Funeral Homes. We are so grateful for the opportunity to serve such welcoming communities. We would not be considered ‘best-rated’ without you! Recognition for Excellence Our team was recognized for providing consistent high quality services in our area of business. We were reviewed by […]
The post Basic Funerals Awarded Best Rated Funeral Home appeared first on Basic Funerals.
By guest blogger, Carrie Fawcett: Celebrant Ceremonies like funerals and memorials are intended to both honour the life of a loved one and meet the needs of those left behind. If current public health limits have you question if it is still possible to have a “good” funeral, I encourage you to see those limits […]
The post 6 Ways Funerals (Can Still) Help Mourners Grieve appeared first on Basic Funerals.
Repatriation: How Covid-19 is Keeping Us From Home The long-lasting Covid-19 pandemic still has an impact on how the death industry is able to conduct services. Funeral and memorial services are still limited to small groups of 10 attendees and burials are to happen as soon as possible. Many funeral providers have also implemented new […]
The post Repatriation: How Covid-19 is Keeping Us From Home appeared first on Basic Funerals.
Basic Funerals and Headspace Promotion Basic Funerals has always worked hard to go beyond the funeral. We care about the families we serve. We understand that these difficult times make it even harder to grieve the death of a loved one. For this reason, we have coordinated an offer with Headspace.com to provide our families […]
The post The Healing Benefits of Meditation: Introducing Headspace.com appeared first on Basic Funerals.
We proudly serve families across most of Ontario, offering accessible cremation and funeral planning by phone and online.
In-person meetings are available by appointment at our conveniently located establishments.
