The Funeral.com Journal

Resources to help you create tributes as unique as the people (and pets) you love. Learn how engraving, photos, colors, and symbols add meaning; discover scattering rituals and at-home memorial ideas. We focus on the details that matter—because small choices can carry a lifetime of comfort.

POLST Explained: Why It’s a Medical Order, Not Just a Preference

POLST Explained: Why It’s a Medical Order, Not Just a Preference

Families often describe POLST as “the form that tells everyone what we want.” That’s close, but it’s not specific enough to be useful. The reason POLST matters is not that...

Does Choosing Hospice Mean “Stopping Treatment”? What Medicare Means by Comfort Care

Does Choosing Hospice Mean “Stopping Treatment”? What Medicare Means by Comfort Care

One of the hardest phrases families hear near the end of life is, “It may be time to consider hospice.” For many, it sounds like a verdict—that there are no...

What Hospice Actually Does at Home (and What Families Still Handle)

What Hospice Actually Does at Home (and What Families Still Handle)

When families first hear the words home hospice, they often imagine two extremes. One is fear: that hospice means “we’re out of options.” The other is relief: that hospice will...

What to Do When Death Is Near: Comfort, Logistics, and Family Communication

What to Do When Death Is Near: Comfort, Logistics, and Family Communication

When death is near, families often feel two kinds of pressure at the same time. One is emotional: the ache of watching someone you love change, the fear of doing...

Tracking Your Pet’s Decline Without Obsessing: A Humane Way to Document Changes

Tracking Your Pet’s Decline Without Obsessing: A Humane Way to Document Changes

When a pet is aging or living with a serious diagnosis, families often get caught between two fears that feel equally unbearable. The first is missing something important and waiting...

Dementia, Anxiety, and Restlessness in Senior Pets: When Comfort Care Becomes the Priority

Dementia, Anxiety, and Restlessness in Senior Pets: When Comfort Care Becomes the Priority

For many families, the first sign that something deeper is happening is not a limp or a lab value. It is a night that will not end. Your dog paces...

How Can I Support an Older Adult Who Has Lost a Pet?

How Can I Support an Older Adult Who Has Lost a Pet?

For many older adults, a pet is more than a companion, it is daily structure, emotional grounding, and often their most consistent source of affection. When a pet dies, life...

Helping Seniors Cope With Pet Loss: Grief, Loneliness, and Everyday Support

Helping Seniors Cope With Pet Loss: Grief, Loneliness, and Everyday Support

When a senior loses a beloved pet, the impact goes far beyond simple sadness. For many older adults, a pet is more than a companion, it is a source of...