Deathcare Challenges in Cases of Violent Death
Auto accidents, random acts of violence, suicides and other traumatic deaths create unique challenges for funeral homes. Sudden, traumatic, and unexpected (or, as in the case of suicide,...
Grief
Laying a Child to Rest
The experience of a child’s funeral can be extremely difficult for any mourner. When a child dies at any age, for any reason, it’s a tragedy; illness or...
Permission to Grieve—Virtual Workshop with Glenda Stansbury
WHEELING, IL— “If you boil down everything all of the grief authors have ever written or said, it comes down to ‘permission.’ People need permission to grieve. The...
The Assault of Grief
A funeral director fills an extraordinary role. Death care workers help survivors navigate life beyond the death of a loved one, often for the first time. Handling grief...
The Unexpected Value of Slowing Down the Death-Planning Process for Families
Many funeral homes pride themselves on how many arrangements they can get in and out the door in a given business day. Efficiency and high volume sales are...
Bad News Is Traveling Too Fast: The Problem With Social Media, FindAGrave, and Instant Notifications
From his social media posts, you’d think one of my Facebook friends was a coroner, funeral director, or clairvoyant. I say this because rarely does a week go...
Feeling Compassion Fatigue? Here are Five Ways to Decompress over Thanksgiving.
Search any list of “most stressful jobs” and you’ll find the usual: firefighters, pilots, police officers, CEOs, and soldiers. You know as well as anyone that “funeral director”...