Empowering individuals to take their death back into their own hands and homes.
End-of-Life Planning, Consultation, and Support in Oregon
Dying may be the only life event that we know for sure will happen to every single one of us, yet many of us have very little experience or real exposure to death. For hundreds and thousands of years humans have taken care of their own loved ones when they die, often at home. Friends and family members gather in homes to witness this sacred transition, and to honor the person by washing and anointing the body. Today, death occurs mostly in hospitals and we are far more removed from the process.
Reclaiming Death’s mission is to help remove some of the fear around death and dying, to empower individuals and communities to bring death back into our own hands and homes, and to be transparent about all the options one has for both their funeral and their body after death.
End-of-life (EOL) planning includes various factors, but it shouldn’t be overwhelming. Some things that are important in EOL planning include having an advanced directive, choosing what you want to happen to your body, and if there is anything specific you would like for your funeral.
Advanced Directives & Wrapping Up Affairs
Advanced directives are documents that outline your wishes for certain circumstances, such as if you were to end up on life support and who you name to be in charge of carrying out your wishes. When wrapping up affairs, some things to think about are where your important documents are kept, passwords to accounts, guardians for dependents and pets, and what will be done with personal items.
Final Disposition
In today’s traditional funerals, caskets are buried within a tomb on cement in the earth. It’s harmful to the environment and expensive of top of it.
There are many options to choose from for final disposition, including traditional burial (in a casket), natural burial (body wrapped in a shroud or other natural carrier and placed directly in ground), cremation, alkaline hydrolysis (“aquamation”), natural organic reduction (“recomposition” - legal in Washington, Colorado, and Oregon), and donating your body to science or body farms.
Funerals and Memorials
You probably have a picture of a standard or traditional funeral in your head, but funerals can look and feel many different ways. Whether you follow a religious tradition or want something more personal, funerals are important rituals for the ones left living, and participating in any funeral rite helps with the grieving process.
Home funerals are legal in every state and beautiful ways to honor someone who has died. Reclaiming Death would love to offer more information on having your own home funeral.
“Death is not the opposite of life, but a part of it.”
— Haruki Murakami
Contact Below
Contact
Feel free to use the contact form to inquire about services or ask questions.
Email
reclaimingdeath@gmail.com