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Funeral Professionals and Compassion Fatigue

Tania Tack • January 31, 2018

Funeral professionals are often revered for their empathy and compassion. We accompany people on their journeys through grief or loss on a daily basis. It’s a profession not many are drawn to, and a profession even fewer are able to stay in long term. It does take a certain type of person to feel gratified working in this industry and those of us that do, do it with pride.  However, dealing with bereavement regularly can often lead to emotional and physical exhaustion.

In addition to all of the funeral professional’s admirable traits, those working in the death industry are also prone to depression and disengagement. Many funeral professionals also find themselves coping with harmful habits. Those that do not have harmful habits are likely to be too busy to engage in them.  Funeral service is not a Monday-Friday, 9-5 job. We often work weekends, holidays, and evenings. We miss our own special events to attend to those of the families we serve. We are always connected by our cell phones awaiting a call notifying us of another death. This pace makes us vulnerable to suffering from a more fragile mental state just as much as caregivers, nurses, and others in similar occupations.

Aside from working with sadness on a regular basis, death does not pride itself on predictability. Funeral professionals often find themselves feeling defenseless in such an uncontrolled work environment. We can’t predict when it is going to be busy. Sometimes we are under-staffed. Sometimes we don’t have the resources to provide the level of service we want to provide, but we can never let it show. We are trained to present a calm and comforting front. That is we are here for – to serve you. We are the pillars of strength for those that need us in different capacities, whether it is planning ahead for an expected death  or for a family that has just experienced a traumatic loss.

So how do we help ourselves or the funeral professionals in our lives?

*Seek Help

*Stay Educated

*Be Self-Aware

*Practice Relaxation Techniques

*Eat Well and Exercise

Our emotional well-being is important. We need to take care of ourselves so that we can care for the families we serve in our community , with pride and with honour.

 

 

Why Do Funeral Directors Ask About Pacemakers?

October 7, 2022
Funeral Directors routinely ask families during the arrangement process about pacemakers. Standard safety precautions are in place because of the explosive potential of pacemakers when heated. Pacemakers explode during the cremation process because of the rapid formation of gas which bursts the pacemaker’s casing. An explosion during the cremation process could cause serious damage to the crematorium chamber, as […] The post Why Do Funeral Directors Ask About Pacemakers? appeared first on Basic Funerals.

The Ritual of Spring Burials In Local Cemeteries

By Tania Tack • April 29, 2022
When a death occurs in the winter months, it is quite common that the burial can’t take place until the spring. Our region has long, cold winters and this hinders a cemetery’s ability to conduct burials due to the frozen ground. It is not unusal for many families in our smaller communities thoughout Ontario to […] The post The Ritual of Spring Burials In Local Cemeteries appeared first on Basic Funerals.

Death and Taxes

By Tania Tack • March 24, 2022
Tax rules are often complicated and never fun. In the case of pre-arrangements that is no different. When you pre-arrange your funeral there are some things to consider from a tax perspective that we hope to cover here. We will do our best, but unfortunately, we are not accountants and can’t give you personal advice […] The post Death and Taxes appeared first on Basic Funerals.

The Grave Woman

By Tania Tack • December 10, 2020
The funeral industry is changing. Catapulting that change are women like The Grave Woman, Joél Simone Anthony. She is based in Atlanta, Georgia, but is making waves all over the United States with her alternative approach to funeral service. We had the pleasure of speaking with her and learning more about her work. Joél Simone Anthony […] The post The Grave Woman appeared first on Basic Funerals.

Intestate: Dying Without A Will and How it Impacts Funeral Arrangements

By Tania Tack • November 24, 2020
Living without a will may relieve a person from having to think about their own mortality. Living without a will may also save a person some time and money. However, dying without a will can cause grave challenges and obstacles for those left behind. Dying in intestate means that the deceased person did not leave a Will. […] The post Intestate: Dying Without A Will and How it Impacts Funeral Arrangements appeared first on Basic Funerals.

Prepare Your Estate: Your Executor Will Thank You

By Tania Tack • November 10, 2020
Being appointed an Executor is often seen as an honour, but it can also be an extremely daunting task. The person selected to look after estate matters is often also likely to be the person grieving the most. In an effort to alleviate the stress associated with being an Executor or Administrator, we have compiled […] The post Prepare Your Estate: Your Executor Will Thank You appeared first on Basic Funerals.

Basic Funerals Awarded Best Rated Funeral Home

By Tania Tack • August 31, 2020
Basic Funerals has been listed as one of the Top 3 Best-Rated Funeral Homes. We are so grateful for the opportunity to serve such welcoming communities. We would not be considered ‘best-rated’ without you! Recognition for Excellence Our team was recognized for providing consistent high quality services in our area of business. We were reviewed by […] The post Basic Funerals Awarded Best Rated Funeral Home appeared first on Basic Funerals.

6 Ways Funerals (Can Still) Help Mourners Grieve

By Tania Tack • July 9, 2020
By guest blogger, Carrie Fawcett: Celebrant Ceremonies like funerals and memorials are intended to both honour the life of a loved one and meet the needs of those left behind. If current public health limits have you question if it is still possible to have a “good” funeral, I encourage you to see those limits […] The post 6 Ways Funerals (Can Still) Help Mourners Grieve appeared first on Basic Funerals.

Repatriation: How Covid-19 is Keeping Us From Home

By Tania Tack • June 12, 2020
Repatriation: How Covid-19 is Keeping Us From Home The long-lasting Covid-19 pandemic still has an impact on how the death industry is able to conduct services. Funeral and memorial services are still limited to small groups of 10 attendees and burials are to happen as soon as possible. Many funeral providers have also implemented new […] The post Repatriation: How Covid-19 is Keeping Us From Home appeared first on Basic Funerals.

The Healing Benefits of Meditation: Introducing Headspace.com

By Tania Tack • May 25, 2020
Basic Funerals and Headspace Promotion Basic Funerals has always worked hard to go beyond the funeral. We care about the families we serve. We understand that these difficult times make it even harder to grieve the death of a loved one. For this reason, we have coordinated an offer with Headspace.com to provide our families […] The post The Healing Benefits of Meditation: Introducing Headspace.com appeared first on Basic Funerals.
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