Chapter 2: Aftercare - Extending a Helping Hand All Year Round 1 CE Hour
By: Thomas Carver Learning objectives Upon completion of this course, the learner should be able to: Define aftercare. List several types of aftercare. Introduction For the past few decades, the face of the funeral industry has been changing. One of the biggest changes is the life expectancy of people today. In the 1800s and 1900s, most funerals were for young people, either children or young adults cut down in the prime of life. The mourner often would lament over a life unlived or potential lost. Today the average life expectancy is over sixty-five years. Though there is mourning, the service is usually called a “celebration of life.” The person lived a full life and now their loved ones must learn to live without them. In the past, most funerals had a viewing and the casketing rate was almost 100 percent. Today with cremations on the rise and viewings down, funeral homes are trying to find more ways to add value to the service. Repeat business is the lifeblood of any funeral home, and so each business needs to differentiate itself from competitors. The aftercare program is an additional opportunity for the funeral home and the funeral professional to What is aftercare? According to the book, Ethical Practice in Grief Counseling (2009), aftercare means, “Attending to the social, emotional, and psychological aspects of grieving experienced by the bereaved that extend beyond the time frame of customary funeral rituals” (p. 178). In the past, the funeral home’s focus was to take care of the deceased and then provide the family with a service to offer a chance to say goodbye; however, the grieving does not stop there. Aftercare aims to help survivors move forward after the death of their loved one. Aftercare is NOT grief counseling. Counseling must be done by a professional and would be a conflict of interest for the funeral home. However, funeral staff can use aftercare to can help with the grieving process by offering online resources, posting videos about grieving on the funeral home’s website, and providing referrals to local Aftercare and its beginnings In his article (2015) “Aftercare and Outreach – Completing the Service,” Dan Isgard states: “In 1900, of the total deaths 60 percent were under 25; 20 percent were between 21 and 65; and 20 percent were over 65. By 2010 those numbers had changed dramatically; of the total deaths, 20 percent were under 21; 3 percent were between 21 and 65; and 77 percent were over age 65. The deaths under 65 are down dramatically. The deaths that have the most crying are the minority of services now. The majority of deaths are those over age 65. These are lives that have been actualize. We are not dealing with a child who has not experienced life. We are not dealing with the death of someone who has dependents, or was taken from us during their prime. We are dealing with someone who lived a full life. The role of the funeral home is now to facilitate a dialogue with the mourners. It is to help the dependents of the deceased learn to survive without the deceased.” (See chart 1.)
Demonstrate how aftercare can help the funeral home’s business grow. Analyze ethical issues within aftercare.
show that they genuinely care for the family. Aftercare programs can also lead to repeat business. The aftercare program involves more than just sending the family a thank-you card. Aftercare offers a myriad of services: helping the family complete forms where the funeral home takes no direct interest like non-assigned insurance and/or military benefit forms, calling to check up on the family to see how they are doing, and even having events through the year like a Christmas memorial program. These services help the family to continue to celebrate their loved one’s life and help the bereaved to move forward. Each funeral home offers a different set of aftercare services for its customers based on the needs of the community it serves; therefore, using the correct services creates an effective aftercare program. Even though aftercare does not directly affect the bottom line financially, if done correctly, it will increase business in the long run. grief workshops and support groups. Brochure displays on how to handle grief are very effective as well. Aftercare helps the griever continue in life without their loved one by offering support throughout the year via many different outlets. Some programs help the person with everyday challenges like money management, fixing a car, or grocery shopping. Many survivors do not consider these things, especially if the person who passed away handled those responsibilities. Aftercare also offers opportunities through the year to remember the loved one by having holiday programs and online memorials. In the past, the relationship with the funeral home ended with the interment of the deceased. Today, aftercare offers an opportunity for the funeral home to be an active part of the family long after the funeral.
Chart 1: (Isard 2015). The above statistics show people now live longer, fuller lives. The numbers show that in the first half of the twentieth century, the age of the majority of deaths were individuals under twenty-one years old. When a loved one dies there is a great sense of loss. That loss is even deeper when it is the death of a child. Today
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Book Code: FFL1223
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