Page A8 September 2024 (800) 321-0566 Shipinman.com info@shipinman.com We take care of the stress, so you can take care of your families. THIS NOT THAT Meet with families Stuck on hold Let us be your transportation department. This month we will look at a case where the driver of an early morning automobile crash died as the result of rolling her vehicle. She was ejected and suffered severe left side abrasions to her face and forehead from skidding on pavement, as well as dicing from the shattered windshield as well as trauma. She died in her sister’s arms… We’ve discussed in the past the importance of the pre-case analysis… in cases such as this, we must do an initial cleansing of the face to remove blood and other artifacts of the incident to see what we are actually dealing with. Many times, the underlying damage isn’t as significant as we initially thought, after we get them cleaned up. (Fig. 1) When embalming anyone with traumatic facial injuries, as embalmers, we must be cognizant of the probable danger of swelling as the damaged tissue reacts with our arterial solution. We must not inject at too high (ROF) Rate of Flow. Low and slow would be the order of the day and patience wins the race! You must not push fluid too fast! Following a thorough embalming with adequate firming of the tissue, we have created a good foundation for our restorative efforts. The next step is to ensure the tissue is dry and firm. If not, it is important to use a strong cauterizing chemical to finish drying the damaged soft tissue. Next, I suggest using a fresh scalpel to excise the rough outer margins of the wound…be sure to additionally treat the newly excised tissue to prevent leakage. Most failures involving reBy Wally Hooker, CFSP, MBIE storative materials are the result of not having a firm, dry foundation to build on. I can’t stress this step enough! (Fig. 2) In conversation with the funeral director who met with her family…he suggested they bring in a long scarf to be used by the hairdresser to cover the wound and missing eyebrow… like an oversized headband and style her hair around it. I thought there was a better and more appropriate way, and I was going to give it a try! The skidding injury above her left eye removed the eyebrow and left a large area of skin/tissue missing on her forehead, exposing her skull, along with a deep laceration beside her eye with tissue missing and a laceration above her left lip. To suture the lip, I used a doubled waxed dental floss, with a ‘hidden stitch’ and used a small C curve suture needle using locking forceps to hold the needle. The beauty of using dental floss is, it is very small, durable and virtually ‘pulls’ into the tissue and requires very little wax work to hide the suture. The laceration beside her eye left a gap of app 3/8” of missing tissue and attempting to pull it together to suture was going to leave a distortion of the tissue. I chose to just snug the margins taut and use wax to repair the damage and missing tissue. I had concerns about the size of the wound in the forehead and was worried the movement of the skin could possibly cause a problem with the wax at the margins. To mitigate this issue, I used a ‘basket type weave’ to hold the margins snug so there would be no movement of Embalming 101 the skin surrounding the wound. I used a small S curve needle to secure the ligature to the muscular tissue just below the surface of the skin. Again, well embalmed, dry tissue is necessary to ensure a good firm base and secure for the attachment of the ligature. (Fig. 3) We will continue with this case next month. Until then keep up the great work! Wallace P. (Wally) Hooker CFSP, MBIE, is the owner, funeral director and embalmer of Family & Friends Funeral Home of Wingate, IN. He and his wife, Janet designed, established and built their funeral home in 2004. Wally is a graduate of Worsham College of Mortuary Science, where he serves on the Advisory Board. He is Past President of the Indiana Funeral Directors Association and previous board member of North American Division of the British Institute of Embalmers. In addition, he has served as chief deputy coroner/investigator of Fountain County, IN for the last 24 years. FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS www.NomisPublications.com Monthly Columnsonline at Can We See Him/Her? (Part 4) Fig. 1 Fig. 3 Fig. 2 purchase the company’s outstanding shares and convert to private ownership. Shareholders overwhelmingly voted to approve the plan of arrangement at a special meeting in late July, paving the way for the transaction to close in the beginning of August. “An investment in Park Lawn gives us a path to continue to infuse critical capital into the profession at a time when it is difficult for operators to find reliable and knowledgeable financing partners,” affirmed Steve Shaffer, Homesteaders president, CEO and board chair. “It deepens our commitment to the funeral profession in a significant way and provides attractive returns that we can reinvest in higher policy growth and new tools for our existing and future customers.” “Like Park Lawn, Homesteaders’ commitment to the profession is deeply embedded in their operations and culture which makes them a very attractive longterm partner for us,” said Green. “Homesteaders shares our values, understands our business and is committed to serving families for the long term.” Shaffer, who is open about his goals to prepare the 118-year-old preneed company for the next 100 years, views this investment as a deepening of Homesteaders’ commitment to the funeral space. “We have already committed $250 million to funeral home partners through our lending program,” Shaffer explained. “No other preneed provider can match the financial commitment Homesteaders has and continues to make to secure the future success of the funeral profession and support private ownership.” Homesteaders Life Company, a mutual company owned by its policy holders, is a national leader providing products and services to help people design a better farewell. Visit homesteaderslife.com to learn more. PLC is a Canadian-owned funeral, cremation and cemetery provider. PLC and its subsidiaries own and operate businesses including cemeteries, crematoria, funeral homes, chapels and event centers throughout Canada and the United States which provide a full range of services and merchandise to fulfill the desires of individuals and families seeking to honor their loved ones. PLC operates in three Canadian provinces and seventeen United States states. For more information, visit www.parklawncorp.com. Homesteaders Finalizes Investment in Park Lawn, Facilitates Transition to Private Ownership WEST DES MOINES,IA— Homesteaders Life Company and Birch Hill Equity Partners and have closed on a capital investment to transition Park Lawn Corporation to private ownership. The Canadian-based funeral and cemetery company and their experienced management team will continue to operate their businesses across the United States and Canada, but Park Lawn will cease to be publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange. In June, Park Lawn CEO Brad Green notified shareholders of a proposal to Mourning Thymes Offers Free Leadership Courses NORTH MIAMI BEACH,FL— Mourning Thymes, a free resource for the death community, is now offering free leadership classes. Classes are aimed to help widows of all ages obtain free information and resources to help them along their healing process. After losing a spouse, one of many challenges may be returning to the workforce, finding a new direction, and a new source of income. Where do people begin? How do they navigate the job market and job search technology? How do they write a resume and interview for a job when they are grieving and just trying to find their way? 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