All these technological innovations require technical skills, and companies are available for instruction, design, development, and troubleshooting as needed. The actual investment in Software applications The latest and most innovative technology, the funeral planner app developed for the funeral sector, is an easy way for families to begin planning everything in the privacy of their own home on their schedule. Apps can empower families, providing them with the information they need to create a funeral plan. They can work with family or friends to select options, enabling them to make informed decisions about the funeral service that is right for them in a comfortable, private setting. This format avoids the pressure of traditional sales tactics that may have been used in the past. Families may review the app so that they are familiar with the range of products and services before they visit a funeral business. Apps can be used to simplify services such as: ● Accessing paperwork anytime. ● Ordering flowers. ● Capturing and storing photos, websites, lists, and more. Personalization and creative services More individuals are planning their own funerals, creating a memory that is especially meaningful to the people who knew them. Creating one’s own funeral can be a unique and lasting form of expression, providing peace and closure to the individual and to the bereaved after the loved one’s death. In many cases, these ceremonies are preserved in some form, for example, as an online memorial where people can post their condolences or a slide show of the individual’s life. Baby boomers making plans for their parents’ funerals are increasingly considering their own services and imagining meaningful services that celebrate their lives, often consciously breaking from tradition. Recent years have seen a more open attitude toward discussions of death, and many people who plan their own funeral get family input beforehand. It is likely that the increasing acceptance of preplanning services opened the door to this practical perspective on the inevitable. Families may plan a trip to a sporting event rather than go to a wake or enjoy a trip to a favorite location for the scattering Changing presentations and personalization for viewing The demand for cosmetic surgery to improve one’s appearance does not end with death. An NBC News documentary, “Final Touch: A Cosmetic Lift for Your Funeral,” interviewed a number of embalmers and restorative artists. The report found that many people consult funeral professionals to plan restorative procedures to enhance their appearance at their funeral. Some of the requests include smoothing lines, plumping lips, and even lifting sagging areas for their funeral (Mapes, 2008). “People used to say, just throw me in a pine box and bury me in the back yard,” says Mark Duffey, president and CEO of Everest Funeral, a national funeral planning and concierge service. “But that’s all changing. Now people want to be remembered. A funeral is their last major event and they want to look good for it. I’ve even had people say, ‘I want you to get rid of my wrinkles and make me look younger’” (Mapes, 2008). Restorative artists and embalmers have always tried to restore a “lifelike” appearance. The difference now is the number of people who are preplanning their final touches. This is a new phenomenon in the funeral industry. “I’ve had people mention that they want their breasts to look perky when they’re dead,” says David Temrowski, funeral director of Temrowski and Sons Funeral Home in Warren, Michigan. “Or they’ll say, ‘Can you get these wrinkles out?’ It’s all in humor, but I think people do think more about what they’re going to look like when they’re dead and lying in a casket” (Mapes, 2008).
resources to purchase the equipment required to provide these services is minimal, but—like all computer equipment—it requires maintenance and upgrades on a regular basis.
● Using GPS as a convenient way to find unfamiliar locations. ● Correcting photos and documents instantly and sharing them without delay. ● Using a flight-tracking app to give updates when shipping or receiving remains from the airport or when meeting clients. ● Faxing messages by capturing an image and sending it to a fax number. ● Relaying information to newspapers, insurance companies, and other vendors in less time and without depending on a fax machine. ● Creating customized databases that can be accessed and edited from a desktop or a mobile phone; funeral directors can use this app to access their general price list or other arrangement documents when meeting with families. ● Updating information instantly. of ashes. There are many other ideas that celebrate something enjoyed in life that could be significant to survivors after death. The demand for new and meaningful funerals and memorials has been met by a growing list of services and products. Websites with special software programs that allow the planning of funerals now populate the Internet, providing ideas as well as the means to upload photos, articles, slide shows, and video and audio clips as well as design memorial boards. New business models and specialties have also emerged. One funeral home, for example, hires individuals who can design a personalized ceremony, drawing from information provided to them by family and friends of the deceased. These professionals create full-service funeral ceremonies that retell the “life story” of the deceased based on treasured memories. Writers and graphic artists work to create an emotional connection through words and images. Not only does the company create a beautiful memory, but it also makes it a lasting one by creating a keepsake that is given to mourners. A 2014 ABC News report, “Dead People Get Life-Like Poses at Their Funerals,” noted that funeral plans are becoming more extravagant (Newcomb, 2014). The trend calls for individuals to be embalmed and presented for viewing in ways that are personalized and accurately celebrate their life. Rather than the traditional casket viewing and burial, some choose to have loved ones posed in ways that show their hobbies and personalities. ABC News told the story of an 83-year-old self-professed “party girl” who was embalmed to look as if she was sitting at a party with a glass of champagne. Her “set” included a bright feather boa, patterned outfit, decorative benches, and décor. Other stories include a man who was an avid boxer during life posed standing like a boxer in the ring, complete with a hood and boxing gloves; a jazz musician standing with instruments; and a young man dressed in leather and posed riding his motorcycle (Newcomb, 2014). One embalmer told ABC that in doing these types of “extreme embalming,” they used different mixtures of fluid so that the body would stay stiff in an upright position (Newcomb, 2014). This type of personalization in funeral presentation rejects the traditional way of displaying the body. Further investigation shows that these highly customized funeral presentations have been practiced for years in some sections of the country, but they are becoming more popular throughout the U.S.
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