Web Resources
Industry Watchdogs
Funeral Consumers Alliance (FCA) is the national organization of which FCIS is a Michigan affiliate. It is the only nonprofit funeral-consumer advocate and watchdog over the American funeral industry. www.funerals.org
The Federal Trade Commission Funeral Rule is your consumer guide to purchasing a funeral. www.ftc.gov/funerals
Burial
The Green Burial Council is an nonprofit working to encourage environmentally sustainable deathcare and the use of burial as a new means of protecting natural areas. www.greenburialcouncil.org
The Natural Burial Company sells bio-degradable coffins, urns and natural burial goods. www.naturalburialcompany.com
Gravemarkers.info is an informative Web site written by the staff of Memorials.com, a company that sells grave markers and many other memorial. Its stated aim is to help consumers save money by guiding them through the cemetery marketing maze. www.gravemarkers.infoHome Funerals
Undertaken With Love is a free step-by-step home-funeral manual and study guide written by a home-funeral advocates across America. undertakenwithlove.org
Home Funeral Info contains a wealth of information on home funerals as well as personal home-funeral stories. homefuneral.info
Home Funeral Directory is a directory of home funeral guides across the United States. homefuneraldirectory.com
Crossings is a home funeral and green burial resource center that fosters the integration of dying and after-death care back into our family and community life. www.crossings.net
Final Passages provides educational materials, consultations, presentations, referrals and seminars that prepare and support individuals and the community to carry out a family-directed home funeral. www.finalpassages.org
The Natural Death Centre is known for advice on family-led, environmentally friendly funerals and natural burial grounds. It has a more-general aim of helping to improve the quality of dying. This U.K. site is very helpful to U.S. consumers, too. www.naturaldeath.org.uk
Illness and End-of-Life Issues
Hospice Foundation of America provides leadership in the development and application of hospice care with the goal of enhancing the U.S. health-care system and hospice's role. www.hospicefoundation.org
CarePages are free, easy-to-use Web pages that help family and friends communicate when a loved one is experiencing a health challenge. CarePages enable users to send updates to everyone at once, share photos and receive supportive messages. www.carepages.com
Lotsa Helping Hands lets users create a free private, Web-based community to support families in times of need. Volunteers can quickly view and sign up for available tasks, review commitments, and receive e-mail reminders of upcoming obligations. www.lotsahelpinghands.com
Senior Issues
American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) offers information about programs, benefits, research and advocacy work for seniors. www.aarp.org
