Death care equity. Death care privilege. What does this mean? Why should we care? As I prepare to be a guest on The Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery podcast, I wanted all of you to hear it from me first!
At Equal Deathcare, we are all about providing resources and guidance for both death care providers and death care consumers on how to think about, plan, and conduct a memorial and disposition that aligns with your life story. This alignment could be related to who and how you love, your gender, your family (biological and chosen), your friends, your finances, your accessibility, and many other factors that make you, YOU.
Death and death care are complex. So many things to think about, so many ways things can go awry. Which is why, with my colleague and friend Dr. Staci Zavattaro, I’ve written an entire book about death care equity. Ahead of its release in early 2026, I wanted to share some of the chapter topics with you (sneak peek!)
- We define death equity and discuss why this is an issue in the United States.
- We provide insights into alternative death care options and how folks view “a good death,” along with the features, barriers, and facilitators to having the death care you want
- We dedicate a chapter to equal death care for LGBTQIA+ communities
- We discuss funeral poverty, that is, affording your death care
- We discuss the corpse and issues with how our bodies are cared for at the end (through historical and current lenses)
- We offer insights into the provision of death care, and the resources that go into providing equitable death care
- We explore death care literacy, something we feel strongly needs more integration into education at all levels
- Finally, we discuss ways we can all further the mission of equitable death care, through open conversation, educating ourselves, and educating our communities
I’m excited to be able to share this with you now as we prepare for the book’s release soon. Stay tuned for more updates. For some other information on my research and writing, here are a few podcast episodes:
Inclusivity in Death Care: Jen… – Funeral Service Insider: The Podcast – Apple Podcasts
