Caring for the Deceased

Choosing home death care puts your family in charge of the process of saying good bye.  It allows time for everyone who loved this person to say good bye in their own way and to absorb the reality of death.

Families who have experienced after-death care at home talk about the meaningful connections between generations.  How the children and young people have the opportunity to witness grief and how that loss can be turned into a creative and loving experience.  A beautiful reminder that death is part of the circle of life.

Home death-care / funeral is also a cost-effective alternative to conventional mortuary care.  It fits well with the choice for ‘green’ funerals and burials.

Caring for a loved one at home after death is legal in British Columbia. The deceased may remain at home until burial or cremation. Embalming is not essential or required by law, unless the body is to be transported over a considerable distance. Dry ice or Techni-Ice, which is inexpensive and easily accessible, may be used to keep the body cool at home.

All post-death care and arrangements may be performed by family and friends at home without any clergy or spiritual advisors. These arrangements may include visitations, final farewells, funeral or memorial ceremonies.

There is no legal requirement about how long your deceased loved one can remain at home. Though, if the body is not embalmed, it is recommended that they be buried or cremated within three days of their death. By law, all deceased have to be either buried or cremated.
You may fill out and file the necessary documents and transport the body in an appropriate vehicle to a home, place of ceremony, crematory, or cemetery. During transportation, the deceased must be placed in an enclosed rigid container and not visible to the public.