Guidance and Grants Keep Tampere's Unclaimed Burials Low
Tampere arranged municipal burials for 12 people last year – far fewer than cities like Turku – a difference officials attribute to guidance and grant support from Pirkanmaa wellbeing services that helps relatives arrange funerals themselves.
Last year Tampere arranged municipal burials for 12 people whose relatives did not organise funerals. That is far fewer than in cities such as Turku, where the figure is about 50 a year, Tamperelainen reports.
Riikka Kimpanpää, Tampere's administrative manager, says close cooperation with Pirkanmaa wellbeing area services helps explain the difference: relatives receive guidance via Pirha and often choose to handle funerals themselves.
When the city commissions a burial it covers only essential costs: cooperation with authorities, a coffin, clothing, a coffin mattress, parish fees, transport to the cemetery, cremation and burial in a communal plot. Those costs have been about €700–800.
Kimpanpää points to fear of funeral costs and lack of information as common reasons families step back. She stresses that funeral expenses are paid from the deceased's estate. If an estate lacks funds, relatives can apply to Pirkanmaa wellbeing area for a funeral grant or a payment commitment so Pirha can arrange the burial.
The welfare reform shifted social and health services to the wellbeing area. The Burial Act still names municipalities as responsible when relatives do not act, however, so Tampere remains responsible for these cases and is urging clearer, easier-to-find support for bereaved families.
The issue has attracted attention since the Pirkanmaa welfare region introduced a storage fee for the deceased in March, which sparked debate about funeral costs and how bereaved families are supported.
Earlier coverage
Catch the full story over at Tamperelainen
