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.

Living Funeral Explained: How to Plan a Celebration of Life Before Death - Funeral.com, Inc.

Living Funeral Explained: How to Plan a Celebration of Life Before Death

There are moments in serious illness and advanced age when time feels both precious and strangely unreal. Conversations get postponed because everyone is trying to stay hopeful, and yet the...

Living Funerals: What They Are, Why People Hold Them, and How to Plan One - Funeral.com, Inc.

Living Funerals: What They Are, Why People Hold Them, and How to Plan One

A living funeral is one of those phrases that can sound unusual until you hear it described in plain language: it’s a gathering held while someone is still alive, so...

Death Doulas vs. Hospice Nurses: Who Does What (and How They Work Together) - Funeral.com, Inc.

Death Doulas vs. Hospice Nurses: Who Does What (and How They Work Together)

If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’re trying to help someone you love through an incredibly tender season. And you’re probably doing what so many families do: searching...

Lap of Love Pet Hospice: Services, Telehospice Options, and What Families Can Expect at Home - Funeral.com, Inc.

Lap of Love Pet Hospice: Services, Telehospice Options, and What Families Can Expect at Home

When your pet is aging or living with a serious diagnosis, the hardest part is often the uncertainty. You might be watching small changes add up—less interest in food, slower...

Pet Palliative Care: Pain Management Options in Hospice (Comfort Without “Rushing” the End) - Funeral.com, Inc.

Pet Palliative Care: Pain Management Options in Hospice (Comfort Without “Rushing” the End)

When a beloved dog or cat is facing a serious diagnosis or advanced age, families often discover a new kind of fear—one that isn’t only about loss, but about suffering....

What Happens When Someone Dies in Hospice - Funeral.com, Inc.

What Happens When Someone Dies in Hospice

Hospice is often chosen because a family wants one thing above all: a peaceful, supported end of life. And yet, when the moment actually arrives, it can still feel unreal....

E-Hospice and Telehospice: What Telehealth Can (and Can’t) Do for Hospice Care - Funeral.com, Inc.

E-Hospice and Telehospice: What Telehealth Can (and Can’t) Do for Hospice Care

Hospice is often pictured as a nurse arriving at the door, a quiet bag in hand, and a sense of relief that someone finally understands what is happening. Real life...

Wearables in Hospice and Palliative Care: Remote Vital Signs, Benefits, and Real Limits - Funeral.com, Inc.

Wearables in Hospice and Palliative Care: Remote Vital Signs, Benefits, and Real Limits

It often starts in the quiet hours. Someone you love is sleeping more, eating less, and the house feels both ordinary and unfamiliar at the same time. You find yourself...

PARO the Robotic Seal in Hospice and Dementia Care: What It Does and Who It Helps - Funeral.com, Inc.

PARO the Robotic Seal in Hospice and Dementia Care: What It Does and Who It Helps

When a loved one is living with dementia, the hardest moments are often the ones that look small from the outside: an afternoon that will not settle, a repeating worry...

Agonal Breathing in Pets: What It Looks Like, Why It Happens, and How to Support Owners - Funeral.com, Inc.

Agonal Breathing in Pets: What It Looks Like, Why It Happens, and How to Support Owners

The first time many people see it, they don’t call it anything. They call it “gasping.” They call it “struggling.” They call it “please, no.” It might happen in the...

Body Fluids After Death: Using Incontinence Pads, Positioning, and Clean-Up Basics for Home Care - Funeral.com, Inc.

Body Fluids After Death: Using Incontinence Pads, Positioning, and Clean-Up Basics for Home Care

The first hours after a death can feel strangely split in two: part of you is floating in grief, and part of you is watching the room—listening for a phone...

Odor Management During a Home Vigil: Cooling First, Then Essential Oils and Airflow - Funeral.com, Inc.

Odor Management During a Home Vigil: Cooling First, Then Essential Oils and Airflow

The first time a family asks about odor during a home vigil, they usually whisper it—half from embarrassment, half from love. They are trying to do something tender and brave:...

Closing Eyes and Mouth Naturally: Gentle Techniques for a Peaceful Resting Expression (No Glue) - Funeral.com, Inc.

Closing Eyes and Mouth Naturally: Gentle Techniques for a Peaceful Resting Expression (No Glue)

Right after a death, a room can feel both unbearably still and strangely busy. Someone adjusts a blanket. A phone buzzes with missed calls. A cup of water sits untouched...

Washing the Body After Death: A Step-by-Step Guide for Families (Home Funeral Care) - Funeral.com, Inc.

Washing the Body After Death: A Step-by-Step Guide for Families (Home Funeral Care)

There is a moment after a death when the house feels changed in a way you can’t explain. The air is the same, the light through the window is the...

Viaticum and Catholic Last Rites: What It Is, Who Can Receive It, and When to Ask - Funeral.com, Inc.

Viaticum and Catholic Last Rites: What It Is, Who Can Receive It, and When to Ask

In the middle of an end-of-life season, families often discover a strange kind of time distortion. Hours can feel like minutes, and minutes can feel like hours. Decisions you never...

Ho’oponopono Before Death: A Hawaiian Practice of Forgiveness, Repair, and Making Peace - Funeral.com, Inc.

Ho’oponopono Before Death: A Hawaiian Practice of Forgiveness, Repair, and Making Peace

Some families reach the end of a life with everything neatly said. Many do not. More often, there is love mixed with old misunderstandings, long silences, half-apologies, and the kind...