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WHAT’S INSIDE
ALL COURSES IN THIS BOOK FULFILL YOUR ELECTIVE REQUIREMENTS Chapter 1: Aftercare - Extending a Helping Hand All Year Round, 2nd edition [1 CE hour] This course will enable the funeral professional to provide a range of aftercare services to their clients. 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, for example, nonassigned 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, it will increase business in the long run if done correctly. Chapter 2: An Understanding of Grief and the Role of the Funeral Professional 6 [1 CE hour] 1 Gaining an understanding of grief, how it is felt and expressed by the bereaved, and how its expression may depend on the kind of loss sustained, will allow funeral directors to respond to their clients more empathically, providing comfort where they can. It may also serve to give the funeral director insight into their own feelings arising from being around others’ grief. Funeral directors have a frontline experience of the loss of their client’s experience. This basic-level course will walk through the five stages of grief and bereavement and explore how different relationships are affected by the loss of loved ones. Chapter 3: Ethical Standards in the Funeral Industry 11 [2 CE hours] This course has been developed to create a framework surrounding ethics within the funeral service industry. The principles of ethics are critical in this field of service, since human interaction and empathy are the driving force behind what funeral professionals do. This course will identify the impact of basic ethical principles not only on an individual level, but also on an organizational level, and their overall
influence on the success of our industry. Chapter 4: Mass Fatalities Incidents
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[1 CE hour] Funeral directors and embalmers play an active role in the aftermath of mass fatality incidents (MFIs). This course will define MFIs and their classification levels, as well as the preparation, consideration, coordination, and communication required to best serve the victims and loved ones affected. Chapter 5: The Culture of Death and Funerals [1 CE hour] When it comes time to plan and hold a funeral, religion is not far from many people’s minds. This is rightfully so. The traditions, values, and community that a religious practice can bring are invaluable when facing bereavement and making meaning out of loss. But funerals are not just religious events, even for religiously minded people. Funerals and the traditions families look to enact during them are also shaped by many other factors, including the deceased’s and their family’s cultural, racial, and ethnic background. It is these factors that this course will consider. Final Examination Answer Sheet
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©2024: All Rights Reserved. Materials may not be reproduced without the expressed written permission or consent of Colibri Healthcare, LLC. The materials presented in this course are meant to provide the consumer with general information on the topics covered. The information provided was prepared by professionals with practical knowledge in the areas covered. It is not meant to provide medical, legal or professional services advice. Colibri Healthcare, LLC recommends that you consult a medical, legal or professional services expert licensed in your state. Colibri Healthcare, LLC has made all reasonable efforts to ensure that all content provided in this course is accurate and up to date at the time of printing, but does not represent or warrant that it will apply to your situation or circumstances and assumes no liability from reliance on these materials.
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How do I complete this course and receive my certificate of completion? See the following page for step by step instructions to complete and receive your certificate. Are you an Arkansas board-approved provider? Colibri Healthcare, LLC’s courses are approved by the Arkansas Insurance Department - Arkansas State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors. Are my hours reported to the Arkansas board? Yes, Colibri Healthcare, LLC will report your hours electronically within two business days. What information do I need to provide for course completion and certificate issuance? Please provide your license number on the test sheet to receive course credit. Your state may require additional information such as date of birth and/or last 4 of Social Security number; please provide these, if applicable. Is my information secure? Yes! We use SSL encryption, and we never share your information with third-parties. We are also rated A+ by the National Better Business Bureau. What if I still have questions? What are your business hours? No problem, we have several options for you to choose from! Online at EliteLearning.com/Funeral you will see our robust FAQ section that answers many of your questions, simply click FAQs at the top of the page, e-mail us at office@elitelearning.com, or call us toll free at 1-888-857-6920, Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 6:00 pm and Saturday 10:00 am - 4:00 pm EST. Important information for licensees: Always check your state’s board website to determine the number of hours required for renewal, mandatory topics (as these are subject to change), and the amount that may be completed through home-study. Also, make sure that you notify the board of any changes of address. It is important that your most current address is on file. Disclosures Resolution of conflict of interest Colibri Healthcare, LLC implemented mechanisms prior to the planning and implementation of the continuing education activity, to identify and resolve conflicts of interest for all individuals in a position to control content of the course activity. Sponsorship/commercial support and non-endorsement It is the policy of Colibri Healthcare, LLC not to accept commercial support. Furthermore, commercial interests are prohibited from distributing or providing access to this activity to learners.
Licensing board contact information: Arkansas Insurance Department I Arkansas State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors 1 Commerce Way | Little Rock, AR 72202 I Phone: (501) 371-2600 I Fax: (501) 371-2618 Website: www.fdemb.arkansas.gov
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FUNERAL CONTINUING EDUCATION
Book code: FAR0624
Chapter 1: Aftercare - Extending a Helping Hand All Year Round, 2nd edition 1 CE Hour
By: Thomas S. Carver Learning objectives After completing this course, the learner will be able to: Define Aftercare. List several types of Aftercare. Course overview This basic-level course will enable the funeral professional to provide a range of aftercare services to their clients. 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, for example, nonassigned 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 Implicit bias in healthcare Implicit bias significantly affects how healthcare professionals perceive and make treatment decisions, ultimately resulting in disparities in health outcomes. These biases, often unconscious and unintentional, can shape behavior and produce differences in medical care along various lines, including race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, and socioeconomic status. Healthcare disparities stemming from implicit bias can manifest in several ways. For example, a healthcare provider might unconsciously give less attention to a patient or make assumptions about their medical needs based on race, gender, or age. The unconscious assumptions can lead to delayed or inadequate care, misdiagnoses, or inappropriate treatments, all of which can adversely impact health outcomes. Addressing
Demonstrate how Aftercare can help the funeral home’s business grow. Analyze ethical issues within Aftercare.
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, it will increase business in the long run if done correctly. implicit bias in healthcare is crucial for achieving equity in medical treatment. Strategies to combat these biases involve education and awareness programs for healthcare professionals. These programs help individuals recognize and acknowledge their biases, fostering a more empathetic and unbiased approach to patient care. Additionally, implementing policies and procedures prioritizing equitable treatment for all patients can play a pivotal role in reducing healthcare disparities. Ultimately, confronting implicit bias in healthcare is essential to creating a more just and equitable healthcare system where everyone receives fair and equal treatment regardless of their background or characteristics.
INTRODUCTION
This basic-level course will enable the funeral professional to provide a range of aftercare services to their clients. 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, for example, nonassigned 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, it will increase business in the long run if done correctly.
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 65 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 one 100%. 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 show that they genuinely care for the family. Aftercare programs can also lead to repeat business.
WHAT IS AFTERCARE?
conflict of interest for the funeral home. However, funeral staff can use aftercare to help with the grieving process by offering online resources, posting videos about grieving on the funeral home’s website, and providing referrals to local 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
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.” 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
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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 Aftercare and its beginnings In his 2015 article “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 actualized. . . . 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 below.
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.
handled before, such as managing the finances or maintaining repairs on the house or car. Connie Haymes, writing for the Order of the Golden Rule, gives five reasons providing aftercare services is important (2022). The first is that in a time of grieving, families need support. Aftercare programs are uniquely designed to provide ongoing assistance to families struggling with the grieving process. These programs can encompass many different types of support programs—get creative! In her article, Haymes suggests funeral homes can hold cooking classes, educational workshops, community clean-ups, butterfly releases, and events for holidays such as Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Funeral professionals can tailor their aftercare program to suit their community’s unique needs. Second, aftercare programs provide a space to bring the community together during nonstressful events. Funeral professionals know that so much of their job is caring for the living who have been left behind. Aftercare programs give your funeral home the chance to care for families year-round. Third, aftercare programs give funeral professionals the opportunity to interact with the wider community. Programs impact more than just the grieving family. A wide variety of groups may want to be involved in the aftercare process, including schools, local business owners, civic leaders, veteran groups, and churches. Fourth, aftercare programs provide your community with the chance to talk about life. As the life expectancy for most groups in the U.S. has increased over the past 100 years, people are generally living longer, fuller lives. The general tone of memorial services is shifting from that of mourning to celebrating a life well lived. Aftercare gives people the chance to come together and talk about their lives and share memories. This better equips them to be prepared to handle grief. And finally, aftercare programs differentiate your funeral home from other businesses. Having a successful program sets you and your business apart, especially if you advertise well in newspapers, through social media, and via other marketing opportunities. connecting with families after the service is over to remind them that you still care. People do not grieve just between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. One way to accommodate this process is to provide interactive aftercare . Posting videos about grieving and overcoming loss on your website can help families when they are struggling with grief at any time of the day. This also gives individuals the chance to access these materials from the privacy of their own homes. After all the activity of a funeral, the silence of an empty home can sometimes be the hardest thing to deal with. Having the support and guidance of an interactive aftercare program can make all the difference. Aftercare programs can also be a great way to share grief resources . Families often look to the funeral provider to aid them in finding resources to help them through the stressful event of death. While funeral providers themselves aren’t grief counselors, they can be a facilitator between families and the various grief support services that are out there. For example, the funeral home can list times and dates for support groups and workshops that are available to the community on their website for easy access. The funeral home can also provide lists of grief specialists in the area, as well as reading lists with information on books that deal with grief. Families will appreciate having so many resources consolidated in one place.
77%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
60%
50%
1900 1950 2010
40%
20%
20%
20%
10%
3%
<21
21 to 65
>65
AGE OF DEATH
The above statistics show people now live longer, fuller lives. Aftercare comes into play now because often when a person dies, they may have held a role in the family that no one else has Types of aftercare Funeral homes can reach out in many ways via aftercare. The book Understanding Dying, Death, and Bereavement (2015) states: The funeral industry has always known that 80 percent of its business is with families they served in the past. However, aftercare is one method to increase the likelihood of getting repeat business. The newest trend in funeral service is to provide extensive aftercare services and products for widows and widowers. Among these services and products are grief therapy, bereavement support groups, video tributes, and even greeting cards sent to survivors to mark the anniversary of death or the deceased’s birthday. There are many ways to reach out and provide effective aftercare. A simple Internet search will bring up many possibilities (Funeral One, 2012; Sympathy Brands, 2021). A few of these possibilities are summarized below. The first is to send frequent email affirmations. This is a simple way to uplift families of the deceased, and at the same time, it keeps the name of your funeral home first on their mind. As any funeral professional understands, product awareness helps to build loyalty. These emails can be as simple as a quote of the day. For religious customers, consider sending a scripture or religious verse a day. Email affirmations are a simple way of
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process as well. Accommodating religious or cultural preferences in your aftercare program will allow you to reach different communities, broadening your funeral home’s reach. This is the time to think outside of the box (Answering Service for Directors [ASD], 2017). Some examples include hosting a social event for seniors, holding talent competitions, sponsoring essay contests for youth and adults, having clothing or food drives, supporting local community institutions such as art museums, hosting educational workshops for seniors surrounding complicated end-of-life concerns, honoring loved ones during holiday seasons, and fundraising for local charities. Whatever engages the family of the deceased and the wider community is probably a good idea for an aftercare program! The smallest group programming activities are boutique ones, which are designed with small groups in mind, for example, hosing a grieving education workshop at the funeral home for groups of 20 or fewer people. These allow the funeral professional to bring together a more intimate program to address specific needs the community might have. Finally, the smallest type of programming is one-on-one programming. This is when staff members work with one person at a time. A good example of this is the funeral follow-up counselor, who can work with survivors to complete paperwork that might be difficult or confusing for them. It might sometimes be the case that families adopt local businesses as a part of the grieving process. This is known as reverse programming. One example of this is a special veteran’s memorial program. Veterans may have memorabilia they would like to display in the funeral home. The funeral home might choose to display this memorabilia as a part of their local exhibit
Another aftercare service that funeral homes can provide is the creation of permanent online memorials . Most funeral homes today offer memorial video tributes to the family of the deceased. Some also reserve a place on their website to house the video, which allows extended family and friends to take part in the process, even if they were not able to travel to the funeral in person. Mourners can go online and look at the pictures, upload photos of their own, and leave comments and stories, creating a digital memorial that anyone in the world can take part in. Many families have particular religious or cultural customs that they may want to observe throughout the grieving process. Funeral providers should be aware of and sensitive to these concerns during not just the funeral but throughout the aftercare Levels of aftercare There are several levels of aftercare based on the size of the particular program (Canadian Funeral News, 2015). At the top is global programming, which includes aftercare events that are unlimited in their scope of influence. An example of this might be a staff member writing an article on survivor’s benefits and posting it on the funeral home’s website. This article can be read by anyone around the world, making its reach truly global. The next level is large programming, which involve a large group participating in one event at the same time. Examples of this might include hosting remembrance days and organizing a cemetery clean-up day with a local youth group. These events bring together large groups of people for the purpose of grieving as a community. The next step down is mid-sized programming, which includes events that involve medium-sized groups participating in one event at the same time. These are typically groups of survivors of a certain disease, participating in events such as sponsored runs for breast cancer or other illnesses.
HOW DOES AFTERCARE HELP A BUSINESS GROW?
body. Since these services are standard, funeral homes need to differentiate themselves by offering different kinds of services and products on top of the standard. How can they add to the value of their services offered? One way is through aftercare. Aftercare is considered a value-added service. There is no charge for aftercare services, but these services create value by maintaining a relationship with the families year-round, thus increasing the likelihood of repeat business. Aftercare services offer support to everyone, not just the immediate family of the deceased. The needs of the immediate family are not the same as those of friends or more distant relatives. Everyone grieves differently and at different a different pace. Everyone who interacts with the funeral home will need the support of the funeral professional in different ways. This support can come in a number of different forms, including offering information on grieving, holding classes on topics like car repair or navigating health insurance, or helping to fill out forms. Finally, aftercare programs give funeral professionals the chance to provide continuity of care. A relationship forms between the family and the funeral director/funeral home throughout the course of the funeral process, from first contact to final internment. Since there might be years in between services for the same customer, aftercare can help fill in the gaps in this relationship. Aftercare helps the customer remember the funeral home long after the service, thus increasing brand loyalty. When a customer feels respected and that they matter to the funeral home, they will pass this information on to others, creating powerful word of mouth advertising, which is one of the least expensive forms of advertising you can get. Even implementing simple aftercare programs in your funeral home creates brand loyalty while also helping the funeral home stay connected with the families and communities they serve.
According to industry experts, aftercare programs can be considered long-term investments, even if their results are often difficult to track. If done correctly, aftercare programs can help your funeral home build a strong reputation in your community. The book Understanding Dying Death and Bereavement (2011) states: Presently the majority of funeral homes providing extensive systematic aftercare are owned by individuals rather than large corporations. Funeral homes with local ownership have much more control over budget priorities and tend to be more responsive to community needs for involvement. These locally-owned funeral homes also recognize that aftercare services attract more business and therefore can be good for “the bottom line,” even though aftercare is not directly responsible for revenue enhancement. (p. 396) Since there is no charge for aftercare services, funeral professionals might consider them a risky investment. However, the benefits of creating aftercare programs prove that they are useful for growing your business and increasing brand loyalty. In its blog, Homesteaders Life Company (2015) suggests the following ways an aftercare program can help build a funeral home’s business. The first is that successful aftercare programs will increase brand loyalty for your funeral home. As all funeral professionals know, branding is vital in growing your business. According to Merriam- Webster’s dictionary, branding is “The promoting of a product or service by identifying it with a particular brand.” Branding helps customers associate a certain product with a certain name. In the funeral business, this can be particularly difficult, as most things are pretty standard across businesses. The funeral home gets a call and goes to pick up the deceased. Then they prepare the body for viewing. Next, they either cremate or bury the
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ETHICAL ISSUES RELATED TO OFFERING AFTERCARE SERVICES
Answering tricky questions like these is an essential part of navigating the funeral profession. The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University suggests using the following framework to guide the decision-making process (2021). First, identify the ethical issue(s). Many ethical dilemmas are complex and may involve more than one ethical issue. Next, get the facts. What are the relevant facts to the case? What individuals or groups have an important stake in the outcome? What are the options for acting? Funeral professionals will have to evaluate these questions and more in order to gather enough information to make an ethical decision. The third step is to evaluate alternative actions. All decisions will have at least two possible outcomes, and many will have several options. After deliberating, it is finally time to make the decision. Ask yourself how your decision turned out and what you learned from this specific situation. Reflecting on the outcome of your decision will help you the next time you are faced with an ethical dilemma.
Ethics are important in any business, and the funeral setting is no exception. A situation that creates a conflict of interest can become an ethical issue. There are several ethical codes and standards for funeral professionals depending on the organizations they belong to. For example, the National Funeral Directors Association has several standards meant to guide funeral professionals’ interactions with the public. The code of ethics states that “Members shall not engage in any unprofessional conduct which is likely to defraud or deceive the public” (NFDA, 2022). Therefore, funeral professionals need to be careful about the way they run and market their aftercare programs, to ensure that they are following the necessary standards of ethics. As an example of a problem that could arise, imagine a staff member of the funeral home is assigned to be the director of the aftercare program. However, he is also a minister in the community and has just accepted the position of chaplain at the local community hospice. How might this create a conflict of interest and an ethical dilemma? What should the funeral professional do to ensure that he is acting in accordance with the ethical standards of his profession?
GENERATING LEADS
Of course. Now imagine you gather the same 200 people together and have your pre-need counselor take families off to the side to try and get them to prearrange before or immediately after the event. How are these people going to feel? They are going to feel betrayed (p 32). As this quote reveals, aftercare should not merely be used as a business strategy. While aftercare can attract more business and help increase the bottom line, clients should never be made to feel that business is more important than their needs. the house. Offering a workshop that teaches these tasks to Flora may make her feel more confident as she faces her life without Mark. ● The Henderson family is very cosmopolitan—many grandchildren live around the world and are unable to be with family during the grieving process. Hosting an online memorial where participants can share photos and memories could help those family members who live far away feel closer. ● Mark Henderson was a respected and beloved teacher. Many students are upset at his passing. Planning an event that could involve local schoolchildren, such as a cemetery clean-up day, would involve these community members in the grieving process.
Aftercare is not meant to generate leads; however, in the long run it may lead to more business. In the article “Aftercare, Outreach and Preneed,” Dan Isard states (2015): Aftercare is not a lead-generating faucet for pre-need. Imagine you have 200 people attend a holiday help program. If you do the program correctly and make it worth their time, you are going to have people who are impressed with your business. Are these people more inclined to want to prearrange with you when they are of the mind to do so? Case study Eighty-nine-year-old Mark Henderson has passed away from an illness, and the family has chosen your funeral home to perform the service. Mark leaves behind his wife, Flora, to whom he was married for nearly 60 years, as well as three adult children and many, many grandchildren who live all over the world. Mark was a beloved high school chemistry teacher, and dozens of students are devastated by his passing. ● What are the diverse needs of the Henderson family and their community? ● What kind of aftercare programs would you recommend implementing in this case? Recommendations: ● Because Mark and his wife Flora were married for so long, Flora may have gotten used to letting Mark handle things like finances, car maintenance, and the general upkeep of
NEW TREND: USING AN AFTERCARE COMPANY
One reason for choosing a service that provides aftercare is that there are already enormous demands placed on the funeral professional’s time (Zollinger, 2019). Outsourcing some of the marketing needs, such as providing text messaging services to clients and their families, can help alleviate the burden on funeral directors themselves while still keeping the community connected to the funeral home. creatively about the specific needs of their community. As one funeral professional wrote, “Make it about what is best for your families. They are the ones paying for your experience and guidance and using your assets . . . They are the ones that need to recover from this undesired event. They are the ones that need help, and it doesn’t end at the edge of the grave” (American Funeral Director, 2012, p. 61).
To avoid ethical issues, many funeral homes are outsourcing their aftercare programs to companies that specialize in this area. Funeral One, Order of the Golden Rule, and Aftercare Solutions are just a few companies that provide aftercare services to funeral homes. These companies offer a variety of services based on the needs of the funeral homes they serve. Conclusion Aftercare programs help people through the difficult process of grief. Grief is not linear; different people experience different levels of grief at different times, and an effective aftercare program anticipates these needs and responds accordingly. Each funeral home will use different levels and different forms of aftercare based on the needs of its customers and the local community. This is a chance for funeral directors to think
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obligations that go along with providing aftercare services to the public, as the bottom line should never come before customer satisfaction. Aftercare programs are likely to continue growing in popularity in funeral homes across the country, so knowing how to successfully plan and implement one in your funeral home is extremely important. Kershaw-Staley, T. (2005, May 2). Funeral home expands its aftercare . http://www. bizjournals.com/dayton/stories/2005/05/02/story5.html Leming, M. R., & Dickinson, G. E. (2011). Understanding death, dying, and bereavement , p. 396. Murad, K. (2012, March 22). 5 ways to serve your families after the funeral service . [Blog]. http://blog.funeralone.com/grow-your-business/funeral-marketing/funeral-service-aftercare/ National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA). (n.d.). About NFDA . https://nfda.org/about- nfda/code-of-professional-conduct Order of the Golden Rule Staff. (2015, June 3). 5 reasons why aftercare programs matter . OGR Blog. https://goldenrulefh.wordpress.com/2015/06/03/5-reasons-why-aftercare- programs-matter/
Aftercare services, when implemented successfully, have the potential to increase your business and brand loyalty. Making the family and friends of the deceased feel as though you truly care about their grieving process will increase word of mouth advertising, which is some of the most powerful advertising you can get. It’s important to take into account the ethical Answering Service for Directors (ASD). (2017, March 10). It's a life and death situation: 8 aftercare ideas to connect with your community . https://www.myasd.com/blog/its-life-and- death-situation-8-aftercare-ideas-connect-your-community Bloomquist, B. (2015, August 24). 4 ways aftercare can help grow your funeral home business . [Blog]. http://www.homesteaderslife.com/blog/4-ways-aftercare-can-help-grow- your-funeral-home-business Gamino, L. A., & Ritter, R. H., Jr. (2009). Ethical practice in grief counseling , p. 178. Isard, D. (2012). Why funeral directors should engage in aftercare . American Funeral Director, p. 61. Isard, D. (2015a). Aftercare, outreach and pre-need: The next frontiers . Canadian Funeral News, p. 31. Isard, D. (2015b). Aftercare & outreach Completing the service . The Independent, p. 23. www.ogr.org References
AFTERCARE - EXTENDING A HELPING HAND ALL YEAR ROUND, 2ND EDITION Final Examination Questions Select the best answer for each question and mark your answers on the Final Examination Answer Sheet found on page 36, or complete your test online at EliteLearning.com/Book 1. Aftercare is… a. Not important. b. Grief counseling. c. More than just sending a thank-you card. d. Bad for business. 2. How is the grieving process changing? a. People are dying younger. 7. What is the second step in the framework for ethical decision-making? a. Get the facts. b. Identify the ethical issue. c. Evaluate alternative actions. d. Make the decision. 8. You are a funeral director who has just hired a new director
of the aftercare program. However, you soon find out that your new director is also a minister working in retirement communities. Is this an ethical issue, and why? a. No, because you’re sure this person can handle both jobs independently. b. Yes, because his position as a minister in retirement communities presents a conflict of interest. c. Yes, because you shouldn’t hire ministers for secular jobs. d. No, because it doesn’t seem like that big a deal. 9. What is one of the most inexpensive forms of advertising? a. A social media campaign. b. An ad in the local newspaper. c. A television commercial. d. Word of mouth. 10. Grief is… a. Easy to get over. b. Not linear. c. Experienced in the same way by different people. d. Something only children experience.
b. People are living longer, fuller lives. c. Funerals are going out of fashion. d. Families are grieving less. 3. Who is served with an effective aftercare program? a. The family of the deceased. b. Friends and extended family of the deceased. c. The community. d. All of the above. 4. Which one of these is NOT listed as a reason for the importance of aftercare? a. Giving support to the grieving family. b. Providing a space to bring the community together. c. Increasing the bottom line. d. Differentiating yourself from other funeral homes. 5. What is the top level of aftercare programming? a. Universal. b. Global. c. Large programming. d. Infinite. 6. Why is it important to maintain brand loyalty in your funeral business? a. It helps customers associate a certain product with a certain name. b. It increases your recognition in the community. c. It helps differentiate your business from similar ones. d. All of the above.
Course Code: FAR01AC
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Book Code: FAR0624
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Chapter 2: An Understanding of Grief and the Role of the Funeral Professional 1 CE Hour
By: Gene Jerskey Learning objectives
After completing this course, the learner will be able to: Gain a general understanding of grief and bereavement. List the five stages of grief. Course overview Gaining an understanding of grief, how it is felt and expressed by the bereaved, and how its expression may depend on the kind of loss sustained, will allow funeral directors to respond to their clients more empathically, providing comfort where they can. It may also serve to give the funeral director insight Implicit bias in healthcare I mplicit bias significantly affects how healthcare professionals perceive and make treatment decisions, ultimately resulting in disparities in health outcomes. These biases, often unconscious and unintentional, can shape behavior and produce differences in medical care along various lines, including race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, and socioeconomic status. Healthcare disparities stemming from implicit bias can manifest in several ways. For example, a healthcare provider might unconsciously give less attention to a patient or make assumptions about their medical needs based on race, gender, or age. The unconscious assumptions can lead to delayed or inadequate care, misdiagnoses, or inappropriate treatments, all of which can adversely impact health
Discuss alternative models of grief. Describe special aspects regarding the relationship to the deceased.
into their own feelings arising from being around others’ grief. Funeral directors have a frontline experience of the loss of their client's experience. This basic-level course will walk through the five stages of grief and bereavement and explore how different relationships are affected by the loss of loved ones. outcomes. Addressing implicit bias in healthcare is crucial for achieving equity in medical treatment. Strategies to combat these biases involve education and awareness programs for healthcare professionals. These programs help individuals recognize and acknowledge their biases, fostering a more empathetic and unbiased approach to patient care. Additionally, implementing policies and procedures prioritizing equitable treatment for all patients can play a pivotal role in reducing healthcare disparities. Ultimately, confronting implicit bias in healthcare is essential to creating a more just and equitable healthcare system where everyone receives fair and equal treatment regardless of their background or characteristics.
INTRODUCTION
But gaining an understanding of grief, how it is felt and expressed by the bereaved, and how its expression may depend on the kind of loss sustained, will allow funeral directors to respond to their clients more empathically, providing comfort where they can. It may also serve to give the funeral director insight into their own feelings arising from being around others’ grief.
Grief and loss surround anyone working in the funeral services field. Funeral directors may be tempted to keep involvement with the emotional side of death at arm’s length, perhaps in an attempt to avoid burnout, or “compassion fatigue,” which have both been reported for funeral directors at higher rates since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic (Van Overmeire, 2021). The role of the funeral director Although funeral directors are not therapists and may not have formal training in grief counseling, they have a frontline experience of the loss their clients experience. They may well be the first point of contact outside of immediate family and friends
for the recently bereaved. This creates an opportunity while making arrangements for the deceased and their loved ones, to provide understanding, empathy, and compassion.
PART I: MODELS OF GRIEF
them. Different models may feel more or less relevant in different contexts. Whether or not you share information about these models with your clients, they can help you better understand what they are going through and how they are enacting and reacting to their grief.
The first section of this course presents four models of grief and mourning, each developed by mental health professionals to make sense of the turbulent process people go through when they have lost a loved one or have gone through another intense form of loss. These four models represent alternative, sometimes conflicting, understandings, but there are also parallels between The Five Stages of Grief The Five Stages of Grief is one of the most widely known frameworks for understanding grief. It describes the way those struggling with the loss of a loved one or with a terminal illness may process and express their feelings and how this may change over time (Kübler-Ross, 1969). In “On Death and Dying,” where she first proposed the five stages, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross notes that the bereaved may repeat or skip stages or become stuck in one stage. The five stages are not a hard and fast itinerary that will easily predict the experience of the bereaved, but they may form a useful lens through which to view mourners’ experience and a springboard for conversations with the bereaved. The stages of grief Kubler-Ross proposed are as follows:
Denial In this initial phase of grieving, the grieving person refuses to acknowledge their loss on a deep level. For a terminally ill person, this may mean disbelieving their diagnosis. For the recently bereaved, this may mean a refusal to face the full weight of their loss, even as they recognize, in a literal sense, that they have lost a loved one. While denial may not seem like a healthy response to loss, as an initial reaction, it is a natural coping mechanism that allows the bereaved to, in Kübler-Ross’s words, “pace our feelings of grief.” Kübler-Ross notes that denial is tied to the surprise and shock of loss. As this shock fades and the
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Book Code: FAR0624
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Depression Depression comes when the bereaved person fully confronts their loss. This is the stage of grieving that looks to the outside world the way grief “should,” characterized by persistent feelings of bleakness, unhappiness, numbness, and poor concentration. Physical symptoms, including fatigue, muscle pain, insomnia, and lack of appetite, may also arise. Acceptance The final stage of grieving comes, if it does, with a sense of letting go, that the loss a person has sustained is still present, but not overwhelming. Acceptance is not synonymous with happiness, and it does not mean forgetting the person lost or returning to the way things were. Kübler-Ross notes that not everyone reaches this stage of grieving and instead may experience what is known as “complicated grief,” which will be discussed later in this course. Kübler-Ross also notes that acceptance may wax and wane with time. The Sixth Stage of Grief In an extension of Kübler-Ross’s work, her collaborator, the psychiatrist David Kessler recently proposed a sixth stage of grief in his book, Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief . Kessler emphasizes that a complete sense of closure after the death of a loved one is unrealistic and that grieving, in some form or other, is likely to go on indefinitely (Skinner, 2021). Rather than an end to grief, the sixth stage Kessler describes is a process of personal growth that can happen in the wake of a loss if a bereaved person can resist the urge to turn away from the grief and instead processes what has happened and thinks about their loss’s place within the greater scheme of their life. the deceased person meant to you and celebrating their life with others but also include fixating on the death and isolating oneself. Restoration-oriented responses include taking care of yourself and moving into new roles and ways of living, but also denial and avoiding thinking about the loss. The oscillation occurs when one kind of response becomes too overwhelming, or other clamors for the attention of the bereaved. The Dual Process Model can help you and your clients understand why they may move unpredictably between different moods and different priorities. away from the full weight of their pain. Worden notes that the pain of a loss is there whether the bereaved person is willing to acknowledge it or not. Pressure to tamp down the pain of loss may come from within, from one’s community, or from society at large. There are many ways to ignore, deny, or block out pain, but if it is not allowed its full expression soon after loss, it can lead to complicated grief. Task III: To Adjust to a World Without the Deceased The third task is divided into three areas: external adjustments, internal adjustments, and spiritual adjustments. ● Making external adjustments involves realizing what the loss means for your daily life. Working on this task means figuring out how to do alone the activities you used to do with the deceased and taking on new roles to fill the hole left by your loved one’s death. For someone who lost a dear friend, this may mean finding someone new to talk to about the things you only discussed with your friend. For someone who has lost their life partner, this may mean figuring out how to take care of their children alone. ● Internal adjustments involve understanding yourself in a new light. A widow or widower working on this task may have to move from seeing themselves as half of a couple to their own, full person. Making external and internal adjustments may be intertwined as the bereaved person takes on new
reality and totality of loss sinks in, denial gives way to the next stage: anger. Anger When a grieving person can no longer deny their loss but is not ready to truly accept that loss, anger is a natural response. The direction of that anger may not make sense to those around the bereaved; it may point toward strangers, friends, family, God, or the deceased. Kübler-Ross notes that anger is a particularly hard response for those not experiencing the loss to understand or empathize with. This can lead to the bereaved feeling that their response is inappropriate and this in turn can lead to feelings of guilt and shame at the anger they feel. However, there is an internal logic to the anger of loss, since it can act as an “anchor,” “giving temporary structure to the nothingness of life.” As an immediate emotion that prompts action, anger allows those grieving to feel the intensity of their loss without collapsing under its weight. As the intense energy of anger fades, mourners move into the third stage of grief: bargaining. Bargaining This stage of grief signals that the bereaved is beginning to come to terms with the full reality of their loss. For a terminally ill person, bargaining may take the form of a “deal with God,” to spare them if they promise to live a better life going forward. For the bereaved, this may form “a maze of ‘if only…’ and ‘what if…’ statements.” People may be filled with a sense of guilt, and the possibly irrational belief that they could have acted to prevent their loved one’s death. Bargaining may be thought of as an intermediate stage, in which some of the energy leftover from recent anger is channeled into holding the totality of loss at arm’s length. When these efforts fail, a fuller experience of grief follows. The Dual Process Model The Dual Process Model of grief, proposed in 1999 by psychologists Margaret Stroebe and Henk Schut offers an alternative, non-linear, view of grief. The model describes grief as an oscillation between “loss-oriented” responses and “restoration-oriented” responses (Williams, 2022). Loss-oriented responses involve focusing on the death of a loved one itself, whereas restoration-oriented responses are focused on the other elements of life and its new shape after loss. Each kind of response can be healthy or unhealthy. For example, loss-oriented responses include meditating on what The Four Tasks of Grieving In his book Grief Counseling and Grief Therapy, psychologist J. William Worden described the process of healthy grieving as the completion of four tasks (Luchterhand, 2019). While Worden’s tasks move from simple and immediate to more complex and ongoing, a mourning person may not move through them in strict sequence. They may work on multiple tasks simultaneously, spend time away from the work of this kind of grieving, or revisit The first of these tasks lines up neatly with the completion of the Denial stage in the Five Stages model. Completion of this task may mean finally being able to talk about the loss after initially refusing to, beginning to refer to the deceased in the past tense, or beginning to make funeral arrangements (Worden, 2018). Although the bereaved person may still have enormous trouble truly accepting the loss and all it means for them, acknowledging the loss on a basic level is a prerequisite for processing the loss. Completion of the first task may take time, with the bereaved oscillating, as described in the Dual Process Model, between confronting the reality of the loss and denial. Funerals can go a long way to helping people complete the first task. Task II: To Process the Pain of Grief The second task could simply be termed “feeling the pain.” This task is completed not when the bereaved person no longer feels pain at the loss of their loved one but when they no longer shy one task after having moved on from it. Task I: To Accept the Reality of the Loss
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