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Page A28
MARCH 2017
FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS
S ec t i on A
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ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH YOUR
CREMATION METAL RECYCLER?
Are we educating the public as effectively
as we should be?
By Vernie R. Fountain
Vernie R. Fountain
The funeral service industry offers a variety of out-
standing products and services. From innovation in
technology that brings loved ones together for virtual
services to earth-friendly methods of burial, the means
by which we honor our deceased are evolving. In the
midst of change, funeral service has its challenges and a
change of mindset is necessary to meet the demands of
consumers. It seems that more and more, whether due
to emotional, physical or financial concerns, people are
becoming more focused
on cremation. For the re-
cord, I am not anti-crema-
tion. Not by a long shot.
It’s direct cremation with
no viewing of the body
that bothers me.
Read on, and I will tell
you why.
For several years I’ve had
a growing concern that fu-
neral service is out of fo-
cus regarding our profes-
sional existence. When
a loved one dies, fami-
lies come to us for guid-
ance. We are not here to
sell, we are not here to
rush the process; we are
here to listen, to counsel,
and to educate families as
to their options for a final
goodbye. There are no do-
overs. In my opinion, the
opportunity to view the
deceased in an identifi-
able state, surrounded by
friends, loved ones, me-
mentos and memorabilia
is an option that should
never, ever be left out of
the conversation.
Step back for a second
and ponder this question:
Does the family really
need your funeral home? I
extend a challenge to the
readers of this article. Sit
down with the staff at your
facility and make a list of
every service you provide
for families. List them all,
from the smallest to the
greatest. Once the list is
finished, ask yourself this
question: Which of these
many services provided by
my funeral home could a
family do for itself? Could
a friend or a third party
agent complete these tasks
for a family without re-
taining my funeral home?
From here, go down
the list and draw a line
through each service that
families can do without
you. When you have com-
pleted this task you will
most likely find that, un-
less state law allows other-
wise, the only two servic-
es you provide that no one
else can are embalming
and reconstructive surgery
with the goal of viewing.
In my opinion, these services are the foundation of our
expertise and we should focus on how we can do them
better. We need to more effectively train our funeral ar-
rangers and pre-need counselors to convey the values of
viewing to loved ones because they are about to see the
body, and say goodbye, for the very last time. We are
the death care expert in our communities, and make no
mistake, this is an enormous responsibility. The family
is totally dependent upon our skill and expertise once
the heart and breathing stops, and soul has left its body.
Doctors, attorneys, EMTs, firemen and police can’t do
what we do. No one but a caring, trained, licensed fu-
neral professional can step in and take it from there. For
that matter, few want to. But we do. Our compassion is
the reason we walk toward the dead rather than run the
other direction. It’s the force that led us to the funeral
profession in the first place.
We aren’t nearly as focused as we should be on edu-
cating the public about death, dying and funeral op-
tions before the need arises. On a near daily basis I talk
to people who say, “I just want to be cremated.” When
I query them further, I learn that many of these people
don’t look at cremation as a method of final disposition
of the body; instead it’s replacement for a funeral cer-
emony. We need to make sure that we educate the pub-
lic that cremation is certainly an option, but that it is
only a form of final disposition. I believe as profession-
als we need to help families consider the interval be-
tween death and final disposition – the time of grief, re-
membrance and adjustment to the idea that life is about
to move forward with an empty space.
With this in mind, I extend another challenge: Do
a random internet search for funeral home websites.
Pretend you are a consumer, your child has died, and
that you’re searching for funeral options. How many
websites mention the value of visitation and viewing
prior to final disposition? I think you’ll find that most
funeral home sites offer far more information about
direct cremation than about navigating through grief,
comfort and closure. It is my opinion that educating
the public about all aspects of funeral service is a wise
investment in our future.
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