Home Death Care
In Massachusetts it is legal for persons to care for their own dead. There is no requirement to hire a funeral director or funeral home.
To learn more about home funerals and caring for the deceased at home, consult these resources:
- Caring For Your Own Dead: FCAEM Guidelines for Burial or Cremation Without a Funeral Director
- Issues to Consider in Preparing for Disposition of Decedents (Mass.gov) by Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Office of Health & Human Services.
- National Home Funeral Alliance (NHFA) supporting home funeral education
Several FCAWM board members, past and present, have attended workshops about how to care for the dead at home. In fall 2013 two such workshops were held in western Massachusetts locations (Leverett and Warwick). Public response was positive, filling both workshops to capacity. On October 20, 2024, our Annual Meeting & Program featured guest speaker Lee Webster, “You CAN Do This: Family-Led Funerals.”