December 2021

Page B12 DECEMBER 2021 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on B MUSIC CITY 2021 NFDA Convention Highlights continued LoadAlone™ is a Big Hit at NFDA 2021 NEWARK,NY— LoadAlone™ was one of the most vis- ited booths at the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) convention held in Nashville, TN. Hundreds of funeral directors came to see a demo of LoadAlone™ the affordable automated mortuary cargo loading system because of the mailings sent out to funer- al homes. David Murphy, inventor of the patented Load- Alone™, said that many of the funeral directors specifically said to him that the only reason to come to the convention was to see what LoadAlone™ was and how it operated. Murphy gave hundreds of demonstrations of how Load- Alone™ makes it possible for a single funeral director to load and unload bodies over 500 pounds with the push of a re- mote control. It eliminates the need to lift into the vehicle. Funeral directors loved LoadAlone™ saying that there were two truths in the industry: 1) it is not a matter of if one gets injured, but when and 2) the bodies are getting larger which correlates with the growth in sales of oversized caskets. A common thread in the comments overheard at the show is that LoadAlone™ not only prevents injury, when it is a well-established fact once a person has a back in- jury, they are 75 percent more likely to re-injure them- selves, but it also helps to increase profits by eliminating the need to send a second person on a call. Funeral direc- tors also spoke about the protection of their vehicles be- cause of the flooring and steel ramps thereby adding to the life and value of the vehicle. Each LoadAlone™ is customized for the specific vehicle, SUV, van and hearse that the funeral director uses. Mur- phy has also customized the LoadAlone™ so that it works with the Link Mortuary Deck System. Developed by Mortuary Trade and Transport Services, LoadAlone™ is an affordable automated mortuary cargo loading system gaining widespread recognition and instal- lations in the industry. Already accepted as a solution that helps prevent back injuries, the patented system provides an additional layer of personal protection to funeral direc- tors who do removals from hospitals and nursing homes. LoadAlone™ was invented by a funeral director for fu- neral directors. Most funeral homes can claim LoadAlone™ as an equipment expense and some funeral homes may qualify for a tax credit. Funeral homes are advised to consult their tax accountant. A demo of the LoadAlone™ solution can be seen at https:// youtu.be/NAebhtjB-6E or online at www.loadalone.com. It is easily installed and removed whenever necessary. LoadAlone™ asks that you stay safe, stay healthy, work Permanent Solution to Safely Leaving Items at a Loved One’s Gravesite WINDSOR,CO— Visit Box has announced the launch of its patent-pending product that allows families and loved ones to store items of love, honor and remembrance at the gravesite of the departed. Visit Box is a solution for people who want to leave a token or item at a grave, where these items may blow away, cause harm to wildlife or create a hazard to cemetery maintenance equipment if placed in a way that interferes with the care of graves and grave stones. Visit Box is a logical and appropriate solution to a long- standing problem for people who wish to pay their respects at a burial site. The issue of leaving items of remembrance at cemeteries has been a problem for years, not only for people who want to leave items but also for the cemeter- ies that have operational cemetery maintenance guidelines. Visitors have always left items at graves during the grieving process; however, these items can be hazardous to the envi- ronment and to cemetery maintenance employees. A documentary called “Section 60” about Arlington Cem- etery showed the issue of families leaving so many items that Arlington created a pilot program to collect a family’s treasured items and not throw them away. This gave people a chance to retrieve what they had left. However, the solution did not last. “The idea for Visit Box came from having lost my father af- ter fighting cancer and then sudden cardiac death,” said the owner of the company. “Due to Covid-19 restrictions, my family could not come home with me for the funeral. I left a drawing from my daughter at his burial site and I returned the next day to see it blown into a nearby field. I had left a framed picture and months later it was eroding away. I want- ed to create a product to help keep items that people leave at memorial sites secure from the elements, safer for wildlife and making sure that cemetery grounds would be free from litter.” The owner continued, “It was heartbreaking to leave items at my father’s gravesite to help me grieve. Weather and wild- life can ruin or blow away meaningful, personal items and it can be devastating to lose them. I was still not getting over my grief, and my personal circumstances after his loss led me to channel my pain into something positive in creating a special product to contain items safely and securely.” Visit Box is a small box made of stone. It is a weather- proof, rectangular box that can be secured to the founda- tion of any headstone. It helps cemeteries and families have fewer arguments when groundskeepers need to throw items away. Clearing the gravesite hurts and upsets families. Peo- ple don’t realize that items like rosaries can be harmful for wildlife and get caught in landscaping equipment, increas- ing the burden of work for cemetery groundskeepers. As cities grow, wildlife migrates to quieter areas like cemeteries. Mourners leave items that birds may take back to their nests and people who leave food offerings at National Funeral Director Association trade show and con- ference in Nashville, as members of the industry provided very positive feedback. To see a short introduction of Visit Box, visit https:// youtu.be/RHo58TTqS3A. For more information, visit www .thevisitbox.com, email info@thevisitbox.com or call 970-556-5813. Photos Courtesy Elizabeth Roberts, Roberts & Downey Chapel Equipment, Argenta, Illinois