Join us at the Funeral Consumers Alliance of Western Massachusetts annual meeting featuring speaker:

Mark Harris, author of Grave Matters: A Journey Through the Modern Funeral Industry to a Natural Way of Burial

Sunday, October 26 at 2:00 PM

The Northampton Hotel, 36 King Street, Northampton, MA

This event is free and open to the public!

For more information, call FCAWM at 413-774-2320.

Massachusetts Funeral Service Survey Results

The FCAEM Board conducted a funeral home survey in early 2006. All Massachusetts Funeral homes were asked to answer a survey and send us their General Price List. From the 639 surveys sent out, we received 57 responses.

You can view the responses to the surveys and the General Price Lists of those who responded by clicking here.

What Does the Funeral Consumers Alliance Do?

1. Provides members with information about laws, practices and forms pertaining to death, burial, cremation, anatomical gifts and related subjects.
2. Helps you plan for your funeral while you are healthy and able to make decisions that are right for you and your family.
3. Provides information for those who might wish to care for their own dead.
4. Gives you forms on which to record the kind of arrangements you prefer. Do you want family and friends to make charitable gifts in your memory to your favorite charitable organization rather than send flowers?
5. Provides reciprocity with other affiliates around the U.S. if you move or die while traveling.
6. Maintains information on funeral directors who are willing to cooperate with your choices.
7. Monitors legislation pertaining to funeral practices to insure that freedom of choice in arrangements is preserved.
8. Provides speakers on request to various civic or religious groups.

Plan Ahead

Death is something no one wants to think about. But, when a death does occur, there are many important decisions to be made. These are decisions which should not have to be made at such a difficult and painful time. To ease the burden on your family and friends, there are things that you can do now and plans that you can make today. Check out our benefits of membership.

For a helpful article on Planning a Funeral from Boston Consumers' Checkbook click here.

Do It Yourself

It is perfectly legal in Massachusetts, as in most other states, to care for your own dead without using a funeral home at all. Or, if you wish, you might want to use only limited services, for example, help with transportation, or the necessary paper work. Whether planning for yourself, or someone close to you, download our brochure on Home Funerals, and our advice on doing it yourself.

FCAEM helped revive this time honored tradition in the 1990s by clarifying the law with the state after the funeral Board of Registration had led many to believe that the practice was illegal. Click here for details of that history.

[last updated 2007-06-05]