Working at a funeral home gives you a unique perspective. Like so many things in life, funeral services may not go as expected. Unforeseen events can occur because life isn’t predictable.
Even though it seems like funeral services unfold the same way for everyone on the same typical cremation timeline, that’s a common misconception. Direct cremation can be done in a matter of days or it could take weeks. There are even instances where the body isn’t cremated for months.
The question isn’t whether direct cremation delays occur but rather what happens if you have to delay a direct cremation.
The Reason for the Delay Makes a Difference
The first thing to keep in mind is that the reason for delaying a direct cremation does make a difference. There are a lot of reasons that disposition may be delayed:
- The deceased was an organ donor.
- The deceased donated their body to medical research.
- The death is being investigated.
- The body must be transported from another location.
- The family chooses to delay the disposition for funeral services or another personal reason.
A family choosing to delay the cremation by a few days to hold a funeral is a completely different scenario than a family member dying overseas and it taking an extra week to arrange transport. The same is true if the body is being held at the medical examiner’s office.
If you find yourself having to delay a direct cremation here’s what to expect.
It Could Mean the Body Stays at the Funeral Home for Longer
If the family chooses to delay the direct cremation that will need to be arranged with the funeral home. In most cases, the funeral home can accommodate the family if the body is already in their possession. However, they might not be able to hold the body for long simply because they have limited space or resources for keeping the body preserved.
It Will Likely Mean Higher Cost
If the body must be stored for a longer period at a funeral home that usually means the cost is higher. The funeral home is going to factor into account that they have limited space and resources. Storing the body may mean they don’t have the ability to take on another client.
The Direct Cremation May Get Delayed Longer Than You Expected
Your loved one’s direct cremation may be on hold, but the funeral home is still providing services for other clients. When the time comes for the cremation you may have to wait a few days if other cremations are already scheduled.
There are only so many retorts at a crematorium. It takes a certain amount of time for each cremation. During that time the retort operator must be there monitoring everything.
If a crematorium had two retorts, it takes a minimum of three hours to cremate and there’s only one retort operator that means the maximum number of cremations that should be done in a day is six. But a cremation could take much longer than three hours. The process can take as long as 16 hours. If there are more than a handful of cremations already scheduled, it could take at least a few more days for the cremation to occur.
At Direct Cremate we can work with your timeline. Just let us know the situation, how long before the cremation can take place and we’ll get everything arranged. It’s direct cremation made extremely easy.
