Funeral and End-of-life Glossary

Advance care planning is any preparation for a future scenario where an individual is unable to make medical treatment decisions for themselves. This may be an informal process involving discussion with family or friends or it may be a legally binding process, involving an advance directive. Decisions may take the form of broad preferences or detailed and prescriptive instructions.

An advance directive is a legal document addressing an individual's medical treatment preferences for situations where they are unable to make a decision themselves. The principal forms of advance directive are living wills, health care proxies and powers of attorney.

Alkaline hydrolysis is a disposition method that typically uses heat, pressure, water and lye in a dedicated hydrolysis chamber. The process produces a benign, micronutrient-rich liquid known as hydrolysate. The process allows for a similar experience to cremation, with the bones being dried and processed into ash matter. Alkaline hydrolysis is an environmentally-friendly alternative to burial and cremation, but uses a large quantity of water during the process.

An alternative cremation container is a box (usually cardboard) that is purpose made to hold a body for cremation. This combustible box presents an alternative to the more traditional option of a cremation casket.

An alternative funeral is one that departs from tradition, typically through the choice of disposition process or commemoration method. Most alternative funerals will replace cremation or conventional burial with a non-traditional process such as natural organic reduction, alkaline hyrdrolysis or natural burial.

Aquamation is another term for alkaline hydrolysis. Alkaline hydrolysis is a disposition method that typically uses heat, pressure, water and lye in a dedicated hydrolysis chamber. The process produces a benign, micronutrient-rich liquid known as hydrolysate. The process allows for a similar experience to cremation, with the bones being dried and processed into ash matter. Alkaline hydrolysis is an environmentally-friendly alternative to burial and cremation, but uses a large quantity of water during the process.

A beneficiary is a person to whom a financial benefit is paid, as in the case of life insurance and similar policies, or a person to whom property is passed, as in the case of a last will and testament. Beneficiary is also a concept in trust law to which specific rules apply.

A burial shroud is a garment in which a body is wrapped for disposition. The material and form differs depending on culture, disposition method and other factors. Shrouds are increasingly used for burial as a more environmentally friendly alternative to caskets. At Earth, a body is wrapped in a biodegradable shroud in advance of the natural organic reduction process.

A burial vessel is a hollow container in which a body is buried. The most common examples are caskets of varying construction and materials.

A casket is a box that is purpose made to contain a body before and during burial or cremation. A casket is used for storing a body, as well as for viewing, including during the funeral service. Caskets are typically made from wood with metal fittings, but other base materials are used including metal. Cremation-specific caskets are available.

A celebration of life is an event or service to mark the life of a person who has recently passed away. Generally these events are held on a date after the disposition process has taken place.

Cremation is a disposition method that involves burning a body in a dedicated cremation retort. The process produces ashes, which are usually scattered, buried or kept.

Cremated remains are the output of the cremation process. They are often referred to as ashes, however they are mainly made up of processed bone fragment. Each cremation produces on average between 4 and 6 lbs of remains. They are usually stored in an urn.

A death benefit is a payout upon death of the holder of a life insurance policy, pension or relevant annuity. Death benefits are paid to a named beneficiary or into the estate of the deceased.

A death certificate is a legal document signed by a funeral director and a medical practitioner or relevant government department confirming the occurrence, time and location of a person's death. They also include vital statistics of the deceased. Death certificates are needed to close accounts of the deceased, e.g. pensions, utilities and bank accounts, as well as to claim any relevant benefits.

A death doula is an individual who is trained to support and guide a dying individual and their family. Death doulas provide physical, mental and spiritual support in a wide-scoping role that may start considerably before death and continue beyond. The role is sometimes also referred to as end-of-life doula or death midwife.

Disposition is the processing of a body after death. The most common forms of disposition are cremation and burial. More recent and environmentally friendly methods of disposition include natural organic reduction, green burial and alkaline hydrolysis.

An eco-friendly funeral is any disposition process that aims to limit environmental impact, typically by limiting CO2 emissions and use of resources. Examples of eco-friendly funerals include green burial, natural organic reduction and alkaline hydrolysis. Cremation and traditional burial are resource intensive processes with high carbon emissions.

End-of-life planning is the process of making advance decisions related to medical treatment, funeral arrangements, and legal and financial matters for when an individual is no longer capable of making those decisions themselves, whether due to medical incapactiy or death. End of life planning may involve an advance directive, a will, appointment of a person with power of attorney, and more general expressions of preference.

An ethical will is a document through which an individual can record messages intended for after their death. As a non-legal document, there is no restriction as to what an ethical will contains. Typically they include personal facts, thoughts, values and learnings. Ethical wills may also be used for distributing property with a more personal and less financial value.

An executor is a person who carries out the instructions and wishes contained within a last will and testament, as well as any general administrative work required such as calculation and payment of taxes. A key responsibility of the executor is distribution of the estate's assets to the intended beneficiaries.

A funeral home is a facility where a body is prepared for funeral and disposition, and where the body can be viewed by friends and family. A mortuary may also be referred to as a mortuary or funeral parlor.

A green burial is a burial process that removes many of the environmentally damaging aspects of traditional burial. This typically involves use of a biodegradable burial vessel, the avoidance of chemicals such as embalming fluid and pesticides, and the minimal use of other resources for related elements such as grave marking.

A health care proxy is a legal document that delegates decisions about an individual's medical treatment to another person, in the event that the individual is unable to make the decisions themselves. A health care proxy is a type of advance directive.

Hospice is a facility or type of medical care that provides palliative care to patients approaching the end of their life. Care is focused on comfort and quality of life rather than on providing a cure for illness.

Human composting is another term for soil transformation. Soil transformation is a natural, environmentally friendly alternative to burial and cremation. The process gently transforms a human body into an approximate half cubic-yard of nutrient-rich soil, which can be returned to the family to scatter or plant, or donated to conservation land for restoration purposes such as fire restoration, reforestation and restoring soil health. The process allows the nutrients in our bodies to be returned to nature.

Interment is a disposition process involving the burying of a body in a grave or tomb. It can also refer to refer to the burying or storage of cremation remains.

A last will and testament is a legal document that lays out a person's wishes for after their death, primarily detailing what should happen to their property and sometimes addressing custody of children. The document is only applicable after death.

A living will is a legal document that lays out a person's wishes for end-of-life medical care, in the event that it might be needed. A living will is a type of advance directive. The document is not applicable after death.

A mortuary is a facility where a body is prepared for funeral and disposition, and where the body can be viewed by friends and family. A mortuary may also be referred to as a funeral home or parlor.

Natural Organic Reduction is another term for soil transformation. Soil transformation is a natural, environmentally friendly alternative to burial and cremation. The process gently transforms a human body into an approximate half cubic-yard of nutrient-rich soil, which can be returned to the family to scatter or plant, or donated to conservation land for restoration purposes such as fire restoration, reforestation and restoring soil health. The process allows the nutrients in our bodies to be returned to nature.

Next of kin refers to a person's closest living relative(s). The next of kin are significant because they give directions as to how a body will be disposed of, are prioritized in inheritance terms, and form part of the process of notifying a family of an individual's death. This is a legal term and the exact meaning will vary between states.

An obituary informs family, friends and members of the public that someone has died. Often an obituary will include details about the funeral, as well as a summary of the individual's life. Obituaries are traditionally published in newspapers, but online obituaries have become increasingly popular in recent years. At Earth, we offer a free online obituary service for the families we look after.

Palliative care is medical care focused on quality of life and comfort for patients with serious illnesses. Treatment can still be given with the intention of curing illness. When this is not the case, this kind of palliative care is called hospice care.

A power of attorney is an authorization for a person to act on behalf of another. The authority to act may be broad or very limited, and will typically cover decision-making regarding finances, property or medical care. A power of attorney conferring authority to make decisions about medical care is a type of advance directive.

A prepaid funeral is a funeral that has been planned for, and paid, ahead of death. Reasons for prepaying may include wanting to choose your own funeral preference, paying in advance so your friends and family don't have to, and locking in a price today to beat inflation and rising funeral costs.

Probate is the process of administering an estate. This process involves identifying and collecting the assets of the estate, paying off debts and distributing assets. Probate also refers to the legal process of proving that a last will and testament is valid.

Soil transformation is a natural, environmentally friendly alternative to burial and cremation. The process gently transforms a human body into an approximate half cubic-yard of nutrient-rich soil, which can be returned to the family to scatter or plant, or donated to conservation land for restoration purposes such as fire restoration, reforestation and restoring soil health. The process allows the nutrients in our bodies to be returned to nature. Soil transformation is also known as Natural Organic Reduction or human composting.

A traditional funeral is a funeral that is modeled around a cremation or conventional burial process, and that involves a funeral service and typically some form of viewing of the body.

An urn is a vessel used for storing and preserving cremated remains. Urns differ depending on their purpose, which include scattering, burial or display.

Water cremation, also referred to as alkaline hydrolysis, is a disposition method that typically uses heat, pressure, water and lye in a dedicated hydrolysis chamber. The process produces a benign, micronutrient-rich liquid known as hydrolysate. The process allows for a similar experience to cremation, with the bones being dried and processed into ash matter. Water cremation is an environmentally-friendly alternative to burial and cremation, but uses a large quantity of water during the process.