Advance Planning - “goods and services sold on a prepaid basis directly to the public for use in connection with future funeral services. Along with the normal funeral service items, prepaid funeral merchandise and services also includes opening and closing of the grave and outer-burial containers. The term does not include a grave, marker, monument, tombstone, crypt, niche, plot, or lawn crypt unless it is sold in contemplation of trade for a funeral service or funeral merchandise.”
- Texas Department of Banking
Alternative Container - is an unfinished wood box or other non-metal receptacle or enclosure, without ornamentation, or a fixed interior lining, which is designed for the encasement of human remains and which is made of fiberboard, pressed-wood, composition materials (with or without an outside covering) or like materials.
- CFR Title 16: Part 453.1 A
Arrangement Conference - The meeting at the funeral home when funeral arrangements are made with a licensed funeral director.
Ashes – see “cremated remains”
Basic Services of Funeral Director and Staff - consultation with the family or responsible party; staff and facilities to respond to the initial requests for service; coordinating service plans with cemetery, crematory, and/or other parties involved in the final disposition of the deceased; securing official documents and necessary registrations and sheltering of the deceased.
Bereavement -This is the word used to define the period of time a person experiences after the death of a loved one. This period varies in length depending upon the type of loss, the nature of the relationship with the deceased, the bereaved’s ability to cope, their spiritual beliefs and their lifestyle. Typically, society accepts this period to be a year; however research indicates that it is not uncommon for the bereavement period to last 2-3 years. Initially this time is often recognized by rituals of funeral services, wearing black, taking time off of work and/or lowering the flag to half mast. Friends and family support the bereaved family with support and comfort through visits, food and caretaking.
- Paula Loring, LCSW, LMFT
Burial – see “interment”
Burial Vault – see “Outer Burial Container”
Casket – is a rigid container which is designed for the encasement of human remains and which is usually constructed of wood, metal, fiberglass, plastic, or like material, and ornamented and lined with fabric.
- CFR Title 16: Part 453.1 C
Cash Advance item – any item of service for merchandise described to a purchaser as a ‘cash advance,’ ‘accommodation,’ ‘cash disbursement,’ or similar term. A cash advance item is also any item obtained from a third party and paid for by the funeral provider on the purchaser’s behalf. Cash advance items may include, but are not limited to: cemetery or crematory services; pallbearers; public transportation; clergy honoraria; flowers; musicians or singers; nurses; obituary notices; gratuities and death certificates.
- CFR Title 16: Part 453.1 B
Cemetery – means a place that is used or intended to be used for interment, and includes a graveyard, burial park, or mausoleum.”
- Texas Health and Safety Code 711.001.2
Certified Death Certificate - A legal copy of the original death certificate, issued by local authorities at the request of family members, for the purposes of substantiating claims for insurance etc.
Crematory- A structure containing a furnace used or intended to be used for the cremation of human remains.
- Texas Health and Safety Code 711.001.7
Columbarium - A durable, fireproof structure, or a room or other space in a durable, fireproof structure, containing niches and used or intended to be used to contain cremated remains.
- Texas Health and Safety Code 711.001.5
Cremated Remains - The bone fragments remaining after the cremation process, which may include the residue of any foreign materials that were cremated with the human remains.
- Texas Health and Safety Code 711.001.6
Cremation - The irreversible process of reducing human remains to bone fragments through extreme heat and evaporation, which may include the processing of bone fragments.
- Texas Health and Safety Code 711.001.7
Crypt - A chamber in a mausoleum of sufficient size to inter human remains.
- Texas Health and Safety Code 711.001.10
Disposition - The placement of cremated or whole human remains in their final resting place.
Embalming – The act of disinfecting or preserving a deceased human body, entire or in part, by the use of chemical substances, fluids, or gases in the body; or by the introduction of the same into the body by vascular or hypodermic injection; or by direct application into the organs or cavities; or by any other method intended to disinfect or preserve a dead body or restore body tissues and structures.
Funeral director - means a person licensed who engages in the preparation, other than by embalming, of a dead human body for burial or other disposition.
- Texas Occupations Code, Chapter 651.001.6
Grief - is a term used to describe the natural emotional experience a person goes through during the period of bereavement. These emotions (such as anger, guilt, sorrow, helplessness, loss of purpose) can be intense and painful and often interfere with a person’s ability to carry on their normal lifestyle. The stress of these emotions can cause physiological and psychological symptoms such as inability to sleep, confusion, memory loss, loss of appetite and preoccupation with memories and thoughts. As these emotions are sorted through and resolved the grief will subside and are often replaced by feelings of gratitude, comfort and peace.
- Paula Loring, LCSW, LMFT
Grief Support Group - is an organized group of people (usually led by a trained facilitator) who come together to share their experiences of grief and support each other in working through their feelings and discovering a life style without the deceased. It is not a therapy group and not intended for those experiencing an extreme grief reaction or a complicated lifestyle.
- Paula Loring, LCSW, LMFT
Green Funeral - or an eco-friendly funeral is an alternative to a traditional burial or cremation resulting from environmentally friendly options.
Interment – Burial or the act of placing in a grave.
Mausoleum – a building in which remains are buried or entombed.
Memorial Service - is a ceremony commemorating the deceased without the body present.
- CFR Title 16: Part 453.1 I
Niche – a space in a columbarium, mausoleum or niche wall to hold an urn.
Outer Burial Container - is any container which is designed for placement in the grave around the casket including, but not limited to, containers, commonly known as burial vaults, grave boxes, and grave liners.
- CFR Title 16: Part 453.1 N
Pre-Need/Pre-Planning – see “Advance Planning”
Visitation/Viewing - a period set aside for family and/or friends for viewing of the deceased or paying respect to the family. This may be done with the casket open or closed, either at the funeral home or a place of worship.
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