LINKS and RESOURCES
Books:
Carlson, Lisa. Caring for the dead: your final act of love. Upper Access, 1998. A comprehensive manual on the funeral industry covering topics such as the Funeral Rule and tricks of the trade, with a state-by-state listing of laws and consumer concerns.
Carlson, Lisa. I died laughing: funeral education with a light touch. Upper Access, 2001. One reviewer writes: “This book proves that dying can be a laughing matter.”
Morgan, Ernest. Dealing creatively with death: a manual of death education and simple burial. Zinn Communications, 1994. A handbook on death-related topics such as death education, bereavement, and the right to die.
Mitford, Jessica. The American way of death revisited. Knopf, 1998. An update of Mitford’s famous expose on the funeral industry.
Roach, Mary. Stiff: the curious lives of human cadavers. Norton, 2003. According to one reviewer, “Stiff makes being dead funny and fascinating and weirdly appealing.”
Casket information:
Casket information consisting of casket discount retailers as well as casket and urn artisans on the Funeral Consumers Alliance (FCA) website. Includes a discussion of the high cost of caskets and provides alternatives, including information on making your own.
Consumer Organizations:
Funeral Consumers Alliance (FCA) is a national nonprofit organization providing consumer education and advocacy.
The Funeral Ethics Organization (FEO) aims to promote ethical dealings in all death-related transactions.
Kavod v'Nichum (Honor and Comfort) provides assistance, training and education about Jewish death and bereavement practice for groups in synagogues and communities in the U.S. and Canada .
Consumer pamphlets (from the FCA):
End of Life:
Crossings is a Maryland-based nonprofit organization that assists families with home funerals.
Final Passages is a non-profit program providing advice and seminars about caring for your own dead.
The Maryland Advance Directive form and instructions can be downloaded from the website of the Maryland Attorney General.
Government Resources:
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) publications:
Complying with the Funeral Rule is a concise, easy-to-understand guide to the Funeral Rule, the sole federal regulation governing the funeral transaction. It covers topics including information required on the General Price List (GPL) and misrepresentations prohibited by the Rule. Though written for the mortician, this is a must-have reference source for every consumer.
Funerals: a consumer guide is a booklet describing many aspects of the funeral transaction, such as funeral costs and types of funerals.
Paying Final Respects: Your rights when buying Funeral Goods and Services is another valuable consumer guide about your funeral rights.
Department of Veterans Affairs:
The Department of Veterans Affairs includes the National Cemetery Administration, which provides information on cemeteries as well as burial and memorial benefits for veterans.
Green Burial:
South Carolina 's Ramsey Creek Preserve was the first green burial ground in the U.S.
Laws and Bills:
The Maryland Code for the practice of Mortuary Science consists of the laws and regulations governing the state’s morticians.
The MD General Assembly website provides access to bills and statutes of MD's legislative body. Interested in pending funeral legislation? Try searching the index with one of the following subject headings: funerals, cremation, cemeteries.
Regulatory Agencies in Maryland:
The Office of Cemetery Oversight, which regulates cemeteries and burial goods businesses, has an eleven-member Advisory Council, five of whom are consumers.
The State Board of Morticians oversees mortuaries and consists of twelve members, four of whom are consumers.