Cremation Services in the Time of Coronavirus

The way cremation services in Phoenix, AZ are done during the coronavirus pandemic has fundamentally changed. With the current prohibition on more than 10 people gathering together and the new normal of social distancing, traditional cremation services are not possible right now – and may not be possible for the foreseeable future.

Many friends and family members can’t or won’t travel to be with you. Even if friends and family live close by or can be with you, only 10 people will be able to attend a cremation service. Funeral homes are under very strict regulations that enforce this, and if they do not abide by this, they can face heavy fines and possibly even jail time.

However, that doesn’t mean you can’t still have a very meaningful memorial service for your loved one right now. Most funeral homes are finding innovative and creative ways to make sure that cremation services are provided for family and friends of people who have died.

One thing that funeral homes are doing with cremation services is providing livestreaming or webcasting of the services, so that all family and friends can attend the service virtually in real time. Many funeral homes are using livestreaming services like Facebook Live to make sure that everyone who wants to be a part of the service can be.

Using these technological capabilities that funeral homes are employing can allow families to hold cremation services when they want to, instead of having to delay them indefinitely until the coronavirus restrictions have been lifted.

This is a great option and it is one that all families should consider if they want to hold a more immediate cremation services for their deceased loved one.

However, cremation services have two purposes. One purpose is to have people be able to come and pay tribute and to honor the life of your loved one. The other purpose is to have the in-person comfort and support of family and friends in your time of loss of grief.

While livestreamed or webcast cremation services can fulfill, in a limited sense, both of these purposes, you and your family may not feel that you and your deceased loved one get the maximum of both of these.

So, it might be beneficial to look at the livestreamed or webcast service as a short-term solution and plan for a full cremation service once the coronavirus restrictions on gatherings are no longer in effect.

Some families who’ve had to postpone planned memorial services indefinitely are looking at still holding the full cremation service, as planned, in the future in conjunction with the funeral home. However, they are holding their own private cremation services on the date that the original service was planned.

There are many ways to do this with technology. It’s important to remember that if you use something like Facebook Live, the cremation service will be open for anyone who is online and a Facebook friend of yours to attend.

Many people have Facebook friends who are not actually friends at all and whom they’ve never met in person. Since cremation services are more private and personal, it may be better to use technology that lets you control who is able to attend the cremation service.

FaceTime is popular, but it works only on iPhones. If there are people you want to participate in the cremation service, but they don’t have an iPhone, they will not be able to virtually attend.

Skype is probably the best option for a private cremation service. You can invite up to 50 people with the free version (which is installed on most laptops, tablets, and phones). All they will need is a Skype account (set up with either a Gmail or Microsoft account – plan for this in advance) and the time of the service.

If you want to know more about cremation services in Phoenix, AZ, our compassionate and experienced staff at Simply Cremations & Funeral Arrangements can help.