Is There A Rise In The Number Of Deaths?

My blogger friend Sam over at It's Me, Sam posed a question to me the other day on her blog. She'd been to a couple of funerals and wanted to know :

" Are there particular times of the year where there are more deaths than others? "

The short answer is yes. But maybe not the way you think. There are cyclical predictions that can be made for certain types of deaths, ie. suicide, seasonal illnesses, cancer, motor vehicle accidents, etc.
(See this article for some good reading and nifty charts, and this paper published by Stats-Can for more Canadian charts.)

Now why is that? Good question.

I'm not sure that I have an answer to that, but it has been my experience that the funeral industry as a whole tends to get busier from mid-November until sometime in April. Then it slows down for a period of time. Of course, we can only note trends from the far to recent past, and cannot in any way predict the future. Except maybe to say that overall, the number of deaths will increase over a period of time. Like maybe the next 10 to 20 years.

Some time ago, there was a phenomenon known as the post World War II Baby Boom, 1947 - 1966 in Canada. The Boomers effected everything in their path, from schooling, infrastructure, pension plans and retirement homes to name a few. It is my opinion that they will also affect the funeral industry as a whole as well. I believe that we are in the very beginning of end of life issues for the Boomers, and it will only continue for the next 20 or so years with the increased number of deaths overall, regardless of mode of death.

From The Canadian Encyclopedia: " In 2009, there were approximately 1.3 million people aged 80 or over and by 2036 this could increase to 3.3 million. The aging of the population is projected to accelerate rapidly as more of the baby-boom generation turns 65 and as that happens, the number of senior citizens could exceed the number of children for the first time in Canada's history. "

And this: "  Even if there are no further declines in the fertility rate per woman, there will be declines in the total number of births to well below the annual 400 000 and increases above the annual 200 000 deaths until there are more deaths than births. "

The Berlin Institute for Population and Development states in the Demographic Developments in Canada, " What does increase is the number of deaths: the rapid aging of the baby boom generation results in twice as many deaths in 2051 as in 2011, even though the population grows by only one-quarter and mortality rates continue to fall."


There is a growing trend in the funeral industry for families to have less traditional services, and cremation without any sort of service or memorializing is on the rise. Folks want things done as simply and inexpensive as possible, so that they may leave whatever finances are available to their families, and not being "wasted on a box and an elaborate showing off" as one client put it.

Although I truly understand the want for less expense, I don't totally agree on going without any type of service or ceremony. But that's another post for another day.

Some Autumn Cemetery Pics

I didn't have a lot of time yesterday to take pictures, but I did manage to take a few while walking through the cemetery.

I'm not sure what type of plant this is, but there are several planted along a hedge. The sharp leaves were a bit wilty yesterday from the frosty night we had.

I chose this image because of where it lays. In this area of the cemetery, there are many old upright monuments, and this gem was laying in/on the ground among them.

Many of the monuments in the older section have this fungus/moss growing on them. After some time, it starts to crumble the stone beneath. All I could think was, "Out of death comes new life."

A couple of full sized cover slab monuments placed directly over the entire grave/lot.

The huge uprights in the background are wonderful pieces of work, with beautifully carved urn shaped tops. Both of these types of monuments are rarely made anymore because they would be cost prohibitive.

Here is a close look at the larger slab monument, placed in 1901.

Another old beauty.

This beauty is slowly sinking into the earth. I wanted desperately to peel away the grass and earth that will eventually cover it, and bring it back up to a level where it can be seen by all. Truthfully though, trying to level this with the ground again would probably break it.

They just don't make behemoths like these anymore. Way too expensive.

This monument was one of three hiding behind some bushes that were likely lovingly planted eons ago. The bushes are now bigger than the monuments, perhaps shielding them from some of the weather.

Just look at the intricate work on this piece. How beautiful!

Same with this one. Such craftsmanship.

This is a style that isn't seen much anymore. A whole piece of stone carved to look like it was formed from several field stones put together.

See what I mean?

A larger example of this style.

From the front. You can just make out the delicate carving of the information.

That's it folks. Just a teeny, tiny glimpse of the beauty I saw in the cemetery.

Go for a walk, while the weather is still reasonably nice. There is so much beauty to behold.













 











A Matter of Choice(s)

Thanks to Makky's Mom, I felt compelled to post about the choices that we all have with regard to our own wishes for our funerals.

Basically, you have two options: Cremation or Earth Burial.

Here's a list of things you need to think about with regard to both options.

Burial:

• casket type
• service details
• cemetery property
• monument (headstone)
• reception after service

Cremation:

• container/casket type
• service or memorial details
• type of urn
• what to do with the cremated remains after all is said and done
• reception after service memorial

Typical caskets are constructed from wood or metal. Cremation containers can vary from  cardboard to the most elaborate wood casket you can find.

You need to think about if you want a service of any kind. This can range from no service of any kind, a memorial service with or without casket/urn present, to a full traditional-type funeral service with visitation.

Your casket can be buried in the ground, or put in a mausoleum. Both can be costly.
Your cremated remains can be put in an urn, and kept by family members for private disposition. Or you can have them buried, put into a niche in a columbarium, or scatter them in a certain area within some cemeteries.

Cemetery property can be expensive, even if you are only buying one plot for cremated remains in an urn.

I am only aware of one Green Cemetery in Canada, located somewhere in British Columbia. This page can provide you with more information.
Biodegradable caskets come in all shapes, sizes and differing construction materials.

So do Urns. Here are some examples.

Taking an example of a friend of mine, even with choosing lower cost options, they are looking at $1800 for cremation and professional services, $1900 for one plot, $400 for an Urn, and $7000 for a monument. Add in about $850 for a memorial service, and $600 for a cheap-o reception, they are looking at a total cost of about $15,000 for two people.

There are so many choices to be made. Funeral service or cremation. Which cemetery? Burial or scattering? Embalming or no embalming? To have a visitation (viewing) or not? Should there be flowers? Memorial donations? Which Funeral Home to involve?

Consider this. Most funerals/cremations are paid for by way of a funeral/insurance plan, life insurance proceeds, and on a credit card.

A Credit Card?!?!

Yep. A credit card. Lots of folks have credit limits that could swallow the cost of an entire funeral service, with, excuse the term, all the bells and whistles. Most funeral service establishments require some type of deposit before services are rendered. Anywhere from 50% of the total and up.

Would creating a Funeral Fund seem morbid to all you PF-ers out there?

I'd rather be morbid than have my spouse or kids put my casket on their credit card, and end up paying it off for the next 30 years, with interest.

What say you, readers? Have you ever even given your final wishes any thought?

Note: After I wrote this post, I found an interesting article on cremation. Of course, it doesn't cover every last detail, it will give you a good idea of what to think about. http://blog.yourmoney.ca/2011/08/cremation-costs.html

And, We're Back!

This is what we spent our days looking out at. The lake was beautifully warm, even if there were some waves for a few days. The kids loved the waves though.

This is the area where we enter the beach. The cottage was about a five minute walk from this point.

The beach at dusk. We took a few walks in the evening, and were treated to some glorious views.

Like this one. :)

This is DD2 and my great-niece, who are the same age, tanning. They spent so many hours on the beach, just talking and having fun. And digging holes, lol.

This is my Cub, running around on the beach with some seagull feathers he had found. He was trying so hard to take off into flight. ;)

This is my Grand-Cub. Isn't he precious? The sun was especially hot that day, so we were playing games with the towel trying to keep him from getting sunburned.

Cub and Grand-Cub playing together.

This is DD2, Grand-Cub, and DD1. I loved having all my kids with me for a whole week!

And this is me and hubby. We didn't get a lot of alone time, but we did make time for one another. And Bailey's. ;)

We ate most of our meals at the cottage, which we prepared. DD1 made dinner at least 2 nights to take the pressure of having to do all the cooking from me. I found that having raw, cut-up vegetables at the table is an easy way to get the kiddos to eat more veggies. We had them with almost every meal. DD1 celebrated her 22nd birthday while we were away, so everything was very low-key.

However, while we were away, DD1 got a text from her BF, who had stayed home, to say that his father had suffered a stroke, and was not expected to live. Thursday night, John Waram passed away.

I was sad for the passing of a man I had known (many years ago), and for our mutual grand-son whom he had never met.

I can't even get away from death when I'm on vacation, try as I might.

But I enjoyed every minute of life that we had last week, and I am feeling recharged.

I'm ready to tackle the world again.

Dealing with Life and Death

Life: 

This week, I've had a little girl at home with a fever for each of the last 3 days. Earlier on this morning (around 3 a.m.), she actually begged me to take her to a doctor because, as she put it, "I feel like I'm dying". I checked her temp in the dark, and thought something was wrong with the thermometer because it read 39.7 Celsius. I turned on the hall light, and took her temp again. This time it read 40.0 Celsius. Good lord I stripped her down, applied cold cloths, and fed her more children's Advil. I stayed awake for another hour or so, waiting for her temp to drop to something a bit more tolerable before I went back to bed. I worry because there is no other symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, just a little cough and a bit of a runny nose.

I worked a bit on Monday from one of my side gigs, and hopefully I should make a wee bit from that hour long meeting. I've been thinking a lot about multiple streams of income, and have come to the conclusion that my side gigs, although in the same type of industry that my business is in, qualifies as a separate stream of income (albeit a small one). Technically, we have 4 streams of income, with a couple of others that are more like a drip here and a drip there.

 Death:

Hubby and I attended the memorial service of a friend yesterday. There were a lot of people there, some of which we haven't seen in years. A sad way to make a reconnection, doncha think? There were folks of all age groups, and all walks of life in attendance. It was a fitting tribute to a young woman who made such an impression on us all.
I've been thinking about cremation as opposed to a more traditional visitation with an embalmed body present, and it has created opportunities to talk to my loved ones about what type of services they would like when their time comes. Mostly, I've talked to people about the benefits of having a 'viewing' as part of the services, and how it helps those who are left behind. I actually told hubby some of the things I want for my own service, should the unmentionable happen. I know the services are to celebrate the deceased, but in my humble opinion, they are for the living, to help them move through their grief.


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Sorry, I'm such a bummer sometimes folks, but with the nature of my work, I can't help it. Death is always around me, and I wouldn't be being true to myself if I didn't talk about it from time to time. I often think of myself as standing with one foot in the world of the living, and one in the world of the dead. Some days, those worlds merge for me, but most days, they are distinct and separate. It isn't easy on those whom I love, to have to deal with the weird hours I have to keep. It isn't easy on those who are in my life, knowing that I'm always on call, and may have to leave suddenly. It makes conversations difficult for me, with death almost always on my mind, and the conversation always ends up in some aspect of it around me.