For funeral directors dealing with the day-to-day business of life and death, the coronavirus and social distancing era has changed the way they help people grieve, and how funeral homes host celebrations of life.
So much of the world is changing and while we all can’t wait for things to go back to “normal,” some things will never be the same. The rise in the COVID-19 death toll has separated many, requiring us to stay home and creating a sense of caution in all interactions, even with family members or friends. However, the reality of this pandemic is worse for others, as some of those same separations from loved ones are becoming permanent.
Kevin Waterston of First Memorial Cremation Society of Minnesota in south Minneapolis was quoted on MinnPost, saying in reference to their services, “Like everything else, they’re delaying it, which has increased cremations. With traditional services, people are so used to doing things within a matter of a few days, and usually that’s the way it happens…”
The seriousness of this pandemic has also hit hard for those at an older, possibly more vulnerable age.There’s been a rise recently of people contacting their neighborhood funeral director about pre-planning and paying for their own future funerals, which suggests that people are planning ahead and getting their things in order.
Derek Glenna, owner of Summit Funeral and Cremation in Inver Grove Heights states, “I have done some pre-arrangements and pre-planning over the phone or mail, with families who are maybe older,” said Glenna. “I just tell folks it’s a reality check. Our days are numbered.” She goes on to say how she feels the pandemic has affected her personal service to clients, noting, “The biggest thing is that we’re in the people business, and we want to help people, and I prefer doing that in person. So for me to have to tell families we shouldn’t meet in person, that’s hard, because I love sitting down and meeting with families and learning more about them and their history, and that’s hard not to be able to do that now.”
Glenna isn’t the only provider having to change her services, but that isn’t stopping Shannon Asmus, supervisor at Choice Cremation. “We arrange for the cremation, and then we know the value of having that service, we know the value of having that public expression of grief, and so we talk about what we can do and what we can’t do today. We know that some services are being postponed because of the situation that the country is in, but we know that we’ll be able to go back and have those services for those families,” said Asmus.
While the monetary business of cremations and memorial service providers has not been negatively hit by the coronavirus, these same providers are on the frontlines helping those who have been. To focus on overall survival and health, while experiencing the loss of a loved one, is plain brutal. But it is what so many people are having to do.