I See Dead People: Dreams and Visions of the Dying

So....watch this talk. PLEASE. I think it's great. Seriously. I had a similar experience (well I didn't but I heard about it through my mother) when my grand mother passed away 10 years ago. 

I lived in Washington DC 10 years ago and was training for a marathon in Miami. I got a call Friday morning at 930am to say my grandmother had been brought into hospital with panic attacks. I was flying to Miami the following day. My phone rang at 930 pm on the Friday night and I knew immediately that she was gone. I spoke with my mom about her final hours and she said the strangest thing (I thought at the time). She asked my mom when was I next home and when she replied two weeks, my grandmother sighed in resignation. Mom said she knew she wouldn't be around to see me. Then all of a sudden she looked sad and when my mom asked her why she replied "I really liked this world." So she completely knew that she was dying and that it was going to happen soon. 

This Ted Talk is very interesting and I completely agree with Dr. Christopher Kerr. In fact, Id love to know more - does anyone have any experience similar to mine or his?

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Ireland - Advanced Healthcare Directives

12 key things you NEED to know according to the Irish Hospice Foundation

1. Advance Healthcare Directives are recognised in common law but until now there was no legislative framework
2. Under the new provisions, a person aged 18 and over who has capacity can prepare an Advance Healthcare Directive
3. They must put their decisions on future medical treatment in writing and their Advance Healthcare Directive must be witnessed
4. A person will be able to revoke an Advance Healthcare Directive at any time – verbally or in writing
5. No-one will be under any obligation to create an Advance Healthcare Directive – people are free to make them but are not required to do so
6. Having witnesses to the Advance Healthcare Directive is geared to prevent people being forced to make certain decisions
7. You can nominate people who will be legally recognised as acting on your behalf at a time when you lose capacity and can ensure your Advance Healthcare Directive is enforced
8. An Advance healthcare Directive only comes into force when you have lost capacity and cannot make a decision
9. Having an Advance Healthcare Directive helps healthcare professionals in caring for you the way you want
10. Having an Advance Healthcare Directive helps families as it removes doubt about what care their loved one wanted
11. If there is any serious doubt about an Advance Healthcare Directive, a person can go to the courts
12. This is not euthanasia or assisted suicide. These acts are and continue to be illegal in Ireland. An Advance Healthcare Directive is a method of obtaining consent for treatment in advance.

ICCFA in New Orleans or “The Crescent City”, “The Big Easy”, “The City That Care Forgot”, “Nawlins”

New Orleans, Louisiana or “The Crescent City”, “The Big Easy”, “The City That Care Forgot”, “Nawlins” and/or NOLA might have a number of nicknames but one thing is for sure it is widely known for its nightlife, vibrant live-music scene and spicy, southern creole cuisine reflecting the melting pot of French, African and American cultures. What a location for the ICCFA Annual Convention and Expo 2016! I fell in love with New Orleans completely, despite a stolen purse, missed flights and the typical Irish weather dampening the experience.

 The welcome was superb. A taste of a true Nawlins funeral and wow what a send off!. You can see a video clip of it on my blog – http://theglamreaper.blogspot.com It was definitely the best part of the expo for me. But what else was there that was new or interesting?

 There was UPD Urns – the Always bust is sculpted by world class 3D artists or bronze sculptors. The bust sits on top of a flat cremation urn where cremains can be safely stored. If ordered before a passing (preneed) the bust can be delivered so it is present for the funeral and the cremains interred after the cremation process and the bust can then stand in a family home as a lasting tribute to a loved one. It takes 6-8 weeks but as it is based in Oregon I would allow a further 2 weeks for shipping to Ireland. See more updurns.com

As always, I’m delighted when I hear of some Irish lurking at these shows and usually I can find at least one! This time it was PLOT BOX. Having already covered the cemetery in Dún Laoghaire and currently commissioned to do all of the graveyards in Carlow, these guys are set for big things. The Plot Box team map cemeteries, from old closed historical grounds to 200 acre fully functioning sites. Especially important in Ireland where we still rely so heavily on paper for everything, these guys digitize existing paper trails into high resolution maps. Ancestry researchers will love this as life will get a whole lot easier as they can browse online databases to find graves and records of their ancestors. See more plotbox.io

One of the strangest booths at the show and one that may not be for everyone was Save my Ink Forever. These guys have developed a unique process of preserving a person’s tattoo after they have passed on. The embalmer removes the tattoo from the body following the directions provided by Save my Ink and sends it in a preservation box to the guys who then return it ‘preserved’ and framed. Its certainly not for the faint of heart but I can imagine it will appeal to some. Check out savemyink.tattoo for more info.

 I have to give a big shout out to AP Lazer who gave me my very own personalized mini coffin – hopefully I wont need the real one anytime soon! These guys are trying to change the way we think of death care by focussing on memory care. Their laser machines are amazing and would allow a lot of funeral homes to personalize countless products at the touch of a button saving both money and time for them and the families they care for. For more info check out aplazer.com

All in all a great show with lots of innovation and also a lot of familiar faces which shows long term investment and stamina in the industry which isn’t easy. I absolutely fell in love with New Orleans and as I said despite the stolen purse, missed flights and the rain I still got to taste all of what New Orleans has to offer and she is vibrant for sure!

ICCFA Expo New Orleans 2016 Video of Opening Act

Bucket List check! Orlando - Universal Studios Orlando 2016

20 ways to die in NYC

As compiled by the Village Voice.

1. You fall through the subway grate on the sidewalk
2. You fall through the sidewalk cellar door
3. You fall off a roof
4. You're struck by an exploding manhole cover
5. You're hit by a bus
6. You're hit by a taxi
7. You're hit by a bicycle
8. You're hit by a car on your bike
9. You're hit by a falling air con unit
10. You're hit by falling ice
11. You're hit by a piece of construction debris
12. You're hit by falling scaffolding
13. You're hit by falling tree branches or trees
14. You fall out a window
15. You fall off a boat
16. You touch the 3rd rail
17. You fall down the stairs to the subway platform
18. You fall onto the subway tracks
19. You do the above and survive only to be hit by a train
20. You're involved in an elevator disaster

What do you think? Have you escaped near death in NYC?
I mean these are all valid but what about murder, terrorism, heart attacks, cancer and all the other regular death inducing things?! Oh I forgot...its New York!!! ;-)

Be happy…. think about death! 2016 Resolutions.

Be happy…. think about death!

WANT a better 2016? Try thinking more about your every day. No I don’t mean your routine or your eating habits or lack of exercise or business financials but about your work - why you do what you do.

Meditating death is a key to better living. Contemplating our own demise forces us into considering the present and future. Knowing that one day it will all come to an end (depending on your beliefs) allows the brain to acknowledge the present and living and the countless opportunities that await us. The future depends on what you do now, today. Death will surely come knocking - as a professional in the funeral industry you know this but are you ready for it? Have you fulfilled your Bucket List? If by some miracle you have then create a new one for 2016. If you have procrastinated on your Bucket List until now then make 2016 the year you complete the list. To make this easier and more achievable when planning always try to vividly visualize the activity - when is it happening, where and how?

Sometimes we can become to engulfed in our work day to day that we lose sight of why we do what we do until we lose someone ourselves and then it is often too late. So if you are planning a summer holiday this year - if this was to be the last one ever - with whom would you go and spend some time? Where would you go? What would you do when there? How long would you go for?

If this year were your last, would you spend the next hour mindlessly checking your social media, or would you call someone you haven’t spoken to in a while? Would you spend the day with your family or spend the day helping other families? Some of our choices are not easy, or fair and sometimes it takes looking death directly in the eye before we realize the real choices we want to and should make. Although his name is now forever associated with drug allegations in sport some would say that it took a serious potentially fatal cancer diagnosis to send Lance Armstrong on to make history and win seven consecutive Tour de France championships. What will your Tour de France be?

There’s still time to rethink your resolutions. Forget losing weight, giving up cigarettes (although you should try!) and saving money. Those are New Year’s resolutions for regular joe soaps but you’re a funeral director. You live, breathe and sleep death so why not apply it to your own life and this year, improve your outlook: Be fully alive now by thinking about your demise. Have a Happy  and Healthy 2016!

Steve Jobs 

“Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life.
Almost everything--all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure--these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. 
Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. 
No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet, death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it, and that is how it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It's life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.”