For Immediate Release:
Dateline: Albuquerque,
NM
Monday, September 27, 2021
Recent Trends in Funeral News Over the past few weeks, these funeral news stories have appeared. They focus on COVID-19 pandemic deaths, unclaimed bodies, hospice care access, bucket lists, and why we treasure certain items.
Idaho morgues are running out of space for bodies as covid-19 deaths mountAs covid-19 deaths reach record highs in the state of 1.8 million, hard-hit areas are struggling to keep pace with the surge in victims. Some hospitals, funeral homes and coroners say they’ve been pushed to the limit. Some morticians have even started embalming bodies that wouldn’t normally need the procedure so they don’t have to refrigerate them, the Idaho Statesman reported. Read the full story here. ‘Don’t get vaccinated’: Fake funeral home is used to promote coronavirus shots“Don’t get vaccinated,” read digital billboards on the vehicle’s side and rear panels. Underneath, the name and website of a business purporting to be a funeral home were spelled out in white lettering, along with a 10-digit phone number. It turned out to be an elaborate and unorthodox campaign to promote the coronavirus vaccines — one that drew applause from local hospital leaders and social media users as it went viral on Twitter, while leaving experts in vaccine marketing questioning whether any holdouts would be swayed by the stark message. The Web address for the nonexistent Wilmore Funeral Home took users to a landing page that said simply: “Get vaccinated now. If not, see you soon.” It linked to the vaccine registration site for StarMed, a health-care provider in the area. Read the full story here. International Death Count: Impact of COVID on Caring for the Dead in All Corners of the GlobeThe number of dead multiplied by a locale’s capacity for processing the deceased ultimately poses the only question that matters: How many can we process? How many becomes the arbiter of what final services can possibly be rendered. How many determines when, where, even, in some cases, if the deceased of a particular region may be laid to rest with a traditional service, or embalmed, or properly buried, or even adequately cremated. Read the full story here. One Thing I Don’t Plan to Do Before I Die Is Make a Bucket ListThis New York Times opinion column is by Dr. Kate Bowler, an associate professor at Duke Divinity School, is the author of “No Cure for Being Human,” from which this essay is adapted. She has Stage Four colon cancer at the age of 35 and a slim chance of survival. Read the full essay here. Why your belongings hold so much meaning, and how to decide what to grab in an emergencyWhether escaping emergency situations or downsizing or decluttering, many of us have been overwhelmed by dealing with our material possessions. Though sometimes derided by others as “just things” or “stuff,” especially in a time when minimalism seems to be growing more popular, many of our belongings hold such special meaning that it’s deeply painful to part with them, intentionally or otherwise. Why do we cling to physical objects? How can we ease the pain of losing them? And how can we prioritize which items matter in an emergency? Here’s what the experts say. Read the full story here. The Forgotten Dead: Alone in DeathTens of thousands die each year in the United States and no one claims their bodies. Conservative estimates are that 1 percent of all deaths result in an unclaimed body, which would mean that last year, when 3.4 million Americans died, there were 34,000 bodies left for local governments to bury. But many coroners and others who handle these bodies say the national figure could be as high as 3 percent, which would bring the unclaimed count to more than 100,000. Read the full story here. Hospice Care Must Be a Choice Everyone Can AccessThis opinion piece by Dr. Gina Piscitello shows the benefits of hospice services. It’s a blessing to allow patients to go home and be with their families and die in the comfort of their own homes. Read the full essay. Stories compiled by Gail Rubin, Certified Thanatologist and The Doyenne of Death®. Related
Gail Rubin, CT, is author and host of the award-winning book and television series, A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die, Hail and Farewell: Cremation Ceremonies, Templates and Tips, and KICKING THE BUCKET LIST: 100 Downsizing and Organizing Things to Do Before You Die.
Rubin is a Certified Thanatologist (that's a death educator) and a popular speaker who uses humor and films to get the end-of-life and funeral planning conversation started. She "knocked 'em dead" with her TEDx talk, A Good Goodbye. She provides continuing education credit classes for attorneys, doctors, nurses, social workers, hospice workers, financial planners, funeral directors and other professionals. She's a Certified Funeral Celebrant and funeral planning consultant who has been interviewed in national and local print, broadcast and online media.
Known as The Doyenne of Death®, she is the event coordinator of the Before I Die NM Festival. She also hosts A Good Goodbye Internet radio show and produces Mortality Minute radio and online video spots. Her YouTube Channel features more than 450 videos!
Rubin is a member of the Association for Death Education and Counseling, the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association, Toastmasters International and the National Speakers Association New Mexico Chapter. Her speaking profile is available at eSpeakers.com.
Gail Rubin has been interviewed about funeral planning issues in national and local broadcast, print and online media. Outlets include The Huffington Post, Money Magazine, Kiplinger, CBS Radio News, WGN-TV, and local affiliates for NPR, PBS, FOX, ABC-TV, CBS-TV and NBC-TV. Albuquerque Business First named her as one of their 2019 Women of Influence.
Sign up for a free planning form and occasional informative newsletter at her website, AGoodGoodbye.com.
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