Other Links

Note: a far more extensive set of links is found on the national Funeral Consumers Alliance (FCA) website http://www.funerals.org/

NEW ADDITION 1/13/11- recommended by someone who found it very helpful in their own time of need. It contains many links to a variety of useful resources.

"End of Life Resources: Guide to Funeral Planning"

http://www.termlifeinsurance.org/guide-to-funeral-planning/

Massachusetts Commission on End of Life Care

http://www.endoflifecommission.org

Includes many useful links including a list specific to Western Massachusetts

One particularly useful feature is their "after death occurs" checklist.

Good Article on "Planning a Funeral"

http://fcaemass.org/FHs/checkbook.pdf

Excellent general discussion and references (details, including list of funeral homes, are specific to the Greater Boston area for which this article was written). It is in pdf file format. Note: click here if you need to download free Adobe Reader to open pdf files.

Another Good Overview Article (recommended to us by a mortuary science student who found it useful) http://www.usa-people-search.com/content-a-consumers-guide-to-funerals.aspx

Book by Mark Harris titled GRAVE MATTERS (2007, Scribner, New York, ISBN 0743277686)

"This is an excellent exploration of several forms of disposition of a body leading chapter by chapter to a very logical concluding chapter on "green burial". Each chapter has been carefully researched and is given sympathetic coverage." - quoted from an Amazon.com customer review.

Link to Amazon.com information and reviews.

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What to do if you have been violated - complaint forms for both the Federal Trade Commission and the Commonwealth's Office of Investigations.

FTC Complaint Assistant Page
https://www.FTCComplaintAssistant.gov/

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of Investigations Application for Complaint
http://www.mass.gov/ocabr/docs/dpl/complaint.pdf

Note: click here if you need to download free Adobe Reader to open pdf files.

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Read a Boston Globe article on Green Burial in Massachusetts

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2009/03/05/going_green/

Compassion at Work

http://www.compassionatwork.com/weblinks.html

Tools for managing grief at the workplace