Services for the bereaved, right at your funeral home. Seems like a natural fit, right? But although many funeral homes provide a list of resources to guide customers to a local bereavement center and grief support groups, few offer these services in-house. One funeral director in a small Texas town decided to change that.
Sabrina Young moved to the small Central Texas community of Temple after her stint as a military police officer at nearby Fort Hood. Now, after years of running a funeral home, she believes it’s time to add bereavement services to her offerings.
A groundbreaking combination
In January, Young broke ground on the construction of a combined funeral home and bereavement center. Young’s Daughters Funeral Home and Bereavement Center will offer immediate support to grieving families all in one place. Families will no longer have to seek out separate facilities. The center’s offerings will range from counseling and support groups to creative healing activities. Clients will have the chance to decorate their own urn or engrave your own casket.
A 2000 National Institutes of Health (NIH) study showed that, while healthcare workers often provide informal bereavement care when a family member dies, fewer formal channels exist for providing appropriate services. The study points out that bereavement care is crucial to resolving the most acute symptoms of grief and reducing distress and stress-related health effects in families.
Young warmly thanked her supporters in a speech at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new facility, and described the innovative services the bereavement center will provide. She hopes that the bereavement center will allow her to better serve families of all backgrounds and faiths and gently guide them through the grieving process, so unique to each individual.
At the ceremony, Young also unveiled a time capsule and invited the community to contribute meaningful items. The capsule will be buried on the property and opened in five years.
Bereavement centers: caring for clients after the funeral
Around the country, a few other funeral homes offer bereavement services onsite. North Carolina’s Pugh Funeral Home established its own bereavement center with free support groups and seminars for their clients.
In Baltimore, Roberta’s House seeks to assure bereaved children and adults that they are not alone in their grief. Started in honor of Julia Roberta March, the organization helps families communicate effectively and support each other. Their strategy for healing emphasizes using positive memories of loved ones as “motivation to live fully and purposefully.
Some, like Sharp Funeral Home in Michigan, host support meetings in their facility. To maintain ongoing support for those who may not live locally or want to attend meetings, they also offer a daily grief support message delivered by email.
Whether directly or indirectly, funeral directors provide bereavement services every day. This important aspect of death care acknowledges the trauma of survivors and provides continued support long after the funeral. Sometimes it’s impossible to give every person the care and attention they deserve. However, specialized grief support staff adds a vital link in the continuum of care. Dedicated bereavement centers like Young’s Daughters ensure that families can access resources readily and consistently.
