October 2018

Page A20 OCTOBER 2018 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A Aftercare The funeral industry is changing at a pace seldom seen during my twenty-eight-year career in the industry. Just today, an article crossed my monitor espousing the high- tech evolution that is occurring within the funeral home business. From Funeral One featuring multimedia and sound presentations to online sympathy cards and reg- istries, our industry is evolving. No longer is printing a batch of Mass cards and a few respectful prayers suf- ficient when companies like Funeral360 are planning services for families across America. Savvy funeral di- rectors are searching for the means to differentiate their product and services, not to mention their brands, from those offered by their competition. Say what you will about our beloved industry, to re- main competitive, to stay viable, we must review, evalu- ate and at times, change what we are doing. From the freshest parlors to polished staff and state-of-the-art of- ferings, the funeral home industry must provide more because our clients expect more. But where does a funer- al home operator begin? With the essential basics! After- care is one of those essential basics that all funeral homes should embrace. But all aftercare is not created equally. If you’re not on-board with “real” Aftercare, you most You see, you, the funeral professional, has the unique opportunity to provide hope, understanding and the “how to,” with a well thought out and quality after- care program. Quality aftercare offers useful information about what grief is and how to find the support that is so desperately needed for the long haul. Anything less should never become or be what aftercare is! By Linda Findlay Aftercare 101 Linda Findlay is the founder of Mourning Discoveries, Grief Support Services. She is a 28 year career “Aftercare Coordinator,” a published author, an advocate for bereaved families and the found- er and co-creator of Journeys of Hope Grief Support Outreach Programs, coordinating and hosting seminars and events, includ- ing the first and only Bereavement Cruise that provides extensive programming exclusively for grieving families. Linda has developed comprehensive aftercare programs that are used in over 300 funer- al homes in 25 states. Linda has supported and worked with thou- sands of grieving families across this country. She has visited and provided support for grieving families in their homes and through Funeral Homes, Hospices and faith-based organizations. She has created, facilitated, participated in and coordinated hundreds of workshops, services of remembrances, and support groups. Linda is a lay counselor for a Christian Care Ministry in Greenville SC. Her highest honor is to enter people’s lives and help make a differ- ence. Linda can be reached at 315-725-6132 or you can visit her websites at www.mouringdiscoveries.com and www.j3hhh.com, or email Lf6643@yahoo.com. www.nomispublications.com Funeral Home & Cemetery News Contributors share insights and exchange ideas. B logs likely are falling behind. Once you have the basics well in place, you can then safely move on to even more sophisti- cated enhancements to your funeral home’s business. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The funeral industry is still about people and remains a contact sport. Before we fully embrace the future – and we should – we can’t af- ford to do so at the expense of not executing the basics elo- quently. One of the basics is Aftercare. Aftercare is a cor- nerstone of funeral service. The point is this, while it’s easier to maintain the status quo or be satisfied with merely surviving, funeral homes need to embrace continual refinement of their businesses while firing on all cylinders. When people are grieving they need understanding and hope-there is no doubt about this statement. A friend and colleague, Alan Pedersen , recently shared his thoughts about what hope is. He said, “Hope in and of itself is meaningless without action.” He went on to explain that hope is about the possibility that “things” will be better someday. He said that hope has to be coupled with action in order for change and healing to occur. If you hope that you will win the lot- tery one day, and don’t buy a lottery ticket, your hope to win the lottery is meaningless. So, here is a question you should be asking yourself about the aftercare services that you provide: Is my aftercare program providing hope and understand- ing and do I offer the “how to” in navigating grief after the funeral is over? The “how to” is of utmost importance as well. Even with today’s accessible and ease of use global Internet, availability of community support groups and all kinds of grief support literature and resources, people who are grieving are lost! IN THE DEATH CARE INDUSTRY Dedicated and focused, Bill’s knowledge and experience of the death care industry provides you with value added services in connection with audited financial statements, trust fund compliance audits, multi-state taxation and much more. Bill Newman, CPA Partner withum.com B o o t h 2 5 3 9 sons observed” following human-initiated and natural disas- ters. Effective outreach following high profile events involving deaths requires planning and coordination. In this talk she will weave professional experience with research findings on what to include or consider when assisting people in communities impacted by high-profile tragic events. Dr. Schuurman currently serves as the senior director of advocacy and training at The Dougy Center for Grieving Children & Families, since 1986. Author of Never the Same: Coming to Terms with the Death of a Parent, Dr. Schuurman is a member of the International Work Group on Death, Dy- ing, and Bereavement, and a founding board member of the NAGC. She has trained the NTSB and FBI’s Rapid Deploy- ment teams, as well as medical personnel, NGO staff and caregivers following major disasters around the world. The second session will feature David J Schonfeld, MD, a developmental-behavioral pediatrician and a member the American Academy of Pediatrics Disaster Preparedness Advi- sory Council who served as a commissioner for both the Na- tional Commission on Children and Disasters and the Sandy Hook Advisory Commission in Connecticut. Dr. Schonfeld established and directs the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement at the University of Southern California. Drawing from more than 30 years’ experience responding to school and community crisis events, Dr. Schonfeld will pro- vide examples and answer questions from participants and will highlight free resources for supporting children, families and professionals in the aftermath of crisis and loss. The third and final session will be presented by Meghan Szafran, MS, CT and Kevin Carter. Currently on staff at The Center for Grieving Children in Philadelphia, PA, Szaf- ran and Carter’s session will focus on their center’s successful school-based grief support program which is implemented in over 100 schools each year. Registration for the NAGC’s 2018 Fall Conference & Web- cast on Children’s Grief will be open through November 1st. Questions about the Fall Conference andWebcast can be direct- ed to Megan.Lopez@childrengrieve.org. Registration is online at https://childrengrieve.org/education/2018-fall-conference-and-webcast . The National Alliance for Grieving Children (NAGC) is a nonprofit organization that raises awareness about the needs of children and teens who are grieving a death and provides edu- cation and resources for anyone who supports them. Through the collective voice of our members and partners we educate, advocate and raise awareness about childhood bereavement. The NAGC is a nationwide network comprised of profession- als, institutions and volunteers who promote best practices, edu- cational programming and critical resources to facilitate the men- tal, emotional and physical health of grieving children and their families. For more information, visit www.ChildrenGrieve.org . NAGC to Host Half-Day Conference and Webcast MIDLAND,TX— In honor of Children’s Grief Awareness Month (November), the National Alliance for Grieving Children (NAGC) is proud to host a national webcast on children’s grief on November 8, 2018. Featuring national- ly recognized leaders in the field of childhood bereavement, the educational webcast is geared towards professionals in the fields of funeral services, hospice care, health care, educa- tion, mental health, child welfare, and bereavement support. The half-day conference will be webcasted live from11:30am ET to 3:30pm ET from Princeton, NJ with the support of lo- cal host Good Grief. This conference offers the opportunity to bring togeth- er a spectrum of individuals such as staff, board mem- bers, volunteers, sponsors, donors, media, business and civic leaders to a designat- ed location to view the live webcast and afterwards dis- cuss what they learned and how it applies to their specif- ic community. The webcast, entitled Ethical- ly Supporting Youth and Schools After a Community Tragedy, will feature three one-hour ses- sions. Local host sites also have the option of conducting an on-site discussion/reflection on what they learned once the live webcast ends. The first session will be de- livered by Donna L. Schuur- man, Ed.D. Drawing on her experience with community responses to both United States and international large- scale disasters, Dr. Schuurman will share “les- Rose Bequest Envelopes Original Price: $37.50/box Sale Price: $32.00/box Johnstown Hearse Rental and Funeral Supply Serving the funeral industry since 1954 www.jtownhearse.com 800-452-2249 October Specials Personal Urn Cover Available in Blue, Green, Burgundy Original Price: $8.25 Sale Price: $6.00 www.funeralradio.com UNCUT ANDUNCENSORED ANALYSIS FORYOUR FUNERAL HOME