It’s a hard time in any family’s lives when a loved one passes. It’s made even harder when families feel as though they have been left in the dark about what to expect from a cremation service. Of course, there are many ways for a cremation service to take place. But today we will discuss it from a more generic point of view. Rather than getting into the nuances of religion and cultural differences, we’ll talk you through how a cremation service typically works, so you at least have a baseline understanding of what to expect when the day of the cremation arrives.
First steps
At this point, you may have already walked through these early stages, so we will just give you a breakdown of what most cremation service providers will do immediately after the death. When you pay for these services, they typically include this as part of the package, so these shouldn’t bring additional costs unless otherwise stated:
– Transferal of the body to cremation service’s facility
– Communication with the medical examiner if it is something that is required
– Updates with family
– Caring for the body whilst awaiting cremation
– Death certificate preparation
– All necessary permits acquired and approved
These are the steps that most cremation service providers will take immediately before the cremation and they will handle all of it professionally and respectfully. But what can you expect from them on the day?
Preparing the body
On the day of the cremation, the crematorium staff will prepare your loved one for cremation. They do this in a very dignified and respectful way, as every cremation provider knows that this is the last time that your loved one’s body will remain as it was before the cremation process. They take off jewelry and remove any surgical implants to prevent complications.
The cremation process
Once prepared, they will place the body into a cremation chamber. Some cremation service providers, such as Arlington Cremation Services, you can read more about them and their specific cremation process at arlingtoncremationservices.com. have a witness chamber where loved ones can watch as they place the closed cremation container into the cremation chamber.
It typically takes three hours for the cremation chamber to break the contents down to ash. Bodies never touch the flames, as some people believe.
Leaving the crematorium
As the family, you will leave the crematorium after they have placed your loved one into the cremation chamber. This gives the staff the time to take out the ashes and refine them further, turning the ashes into a fine powder. The staff will respectfully place your loved one’s ashes into an urn or container of your choosing, and then return them to you as soon as possible. At this point, the cremation service is fully complete, and you will take charge of your loved one’s ashes once more.
Hopefully, this guide has provided you with the reassurance you need at this tough time. Thank you for reading.
