Funeral Service During and Covid-19 – Adapting to Change

Covid-19 social distancing has put many industries at a standstill. Despite this, funeral service must continue forward. Recently, we’ve seen funerals adapting to new measures placed by governance. The outbreak of Covid-19 has been met with strict guidelines for businesses of all kinds. It is important that funeral home workers follow the new guidelines put in place to combat the spreading of this virus, as this will perhaps set the standard for the handling of any future pandemics. These rules have been put into place to protect families of the deceased as well the employees of funeral homes.

Handshakes and hugs are not recommended

As many of us have heard in funeral home news, directors and employees have been strongly encouraging the avoidance of handshakes or other loving embraces. In fact, funeral home employees have been told not to shake hands with clients for weeks now. Closeness, let alone physical touching, contributes heavily to the spreading of Covid-19, and should be acknowledged as a health and safety risk for funeral home guests and workers. If you work at a funeral home and are greeting attendees, be sure to advise them against such actions. After all, we do not know where other people have been. People’s hands come in contact with many different objects that can carry the virus during the day, and many people are still not following the sanitation guidelines placed by the government and other authorities.

Funeral structure has been changed

In light of the situation, funeral homes have been forced to take steps to prevent the spread of the virus at funeral services, memorial services, or celebrations of life. Funeral home staff have been urged to sanitize their hands after handling anything, and have been encouraging guests to do the same. All events of more than 50 people between March 15th and May 10 have been canceled, and new rules have been put in place since to “avoid social gatherings in groups of more than 10 people” (Times Free Press, 2020). This unfortunate circumstance means that funeral directors will be responsible for delivering this news to the loved ones of the recently deceased. This may result in some disappointment on the side of the families, but all precautions must be taken so that funeral homes to stand a chance at eliminating the spread throughout funeral homes.

But how are funeral directors adapting to the circumstances? And how are they improve the grieving experience for those who can’t attend the services?

Less people in attendance creates a need for more technological solutions

As a funeral director, it is your duty to see that the families of the deceased are satisfied with their loved one’s end of life events. Now that funeral homes are not allowing families to grieve together in large groups, funeral directors need to find a solution to this problem. Other people may want the ability to see the funeral proceedings from the comfort and safety of their homes if they are not one of the 10 people permitted to attend the live event. This is a good time to begin learning more about video chat software and live streaming. Here are a few software solutions that will help you get the videos out to other loved ones and friends:

Facetime

Zoom

Skype

Facebook Live

YouTube Live

Instagram Live

Facebook Messenger

New policies affect the handling of the deceased

Those who have been passed away due to Covid-19 must be cared for in a specific way to avoid any further spread of the virus. Funeral homes have been encouraging loved ones to complete the entire funeral planning process online to limit the risk of spreading the virus. Every precaution must be taken, and every guestbook pen and door handle must be continuously wiped down by staff to prevent anyone from getting sick.

Funeral directors have become more accustomed to adapting to trends in the funeral service industry in the 21st century. Though this virus has come with its share of difficulties, the resources for funeral homes and families have grown immensely over the last few years. This is a great time to begin using the software and technology provided to funeral homes in order to properly carry on with everyday procedure. The most important consideration is the safety well-being of their guests and the staff.