Funerals and traditional burials have been around for as long as recorded history. A way to say goodbye and honor loved ones, funerals might vary from one to the next. Although individualized, there are still certain rituals that are considered standard. The traditional ritual of a funeral was created when the world was much less connected.
Due to the changing face of society in America, families have become less centralized and don’t always live in the same region, as was the norm in the past. That means when someone dies, not everyone who wishes to be present at the funeral can be. This is making people reconsider tradition when it comes to burial arrangements and causing them to opt to do things slightly differently to accommodate for changing nuclear families.Â
Since people have become much savvier and proficient at doing things on their own, it begs the question of whether or not funeral homes might be a thing of the past. With so many options for memorial ceremonies or life celebrations, are traditional funeral homes likely to be out of business in the future? The answer is no.
The little secret that not many people know until they encounter the death of a loved one is that funeral homes do much more than hold traditional wake ceremonies. They offer legal services and take care of all aspects of death and burial. With so many things to take care of, there is little likelihood that they will not be a thing of the past anytime soon.Â
Keep reading to find out six interesting things that keep funeral homes relevant and important.
1. Provision of emotional support
Losing a loved one can be overwhelming to family members. Often, funeral homes are more than just a business. They employ people who have an understanding of how to deal with grieving family members and loved ones. They also help people through the acceptance process by allowing for viewing of the body of a deceased person.
Sometimes people have a hard time accepting death until they see it in person. By displaying the body, there is more permanence to someone’s death, and it helps people to move forward.
2. Commiseration
A Winnipeg funeral home is the place where a family and the community can come together to talk about someone who has passed and share experiences and stories together. Getting through grief is a process that is much easier on loved ones when they have a place to gather together to lean on and support one another. This isn’t always possible in personal spaces, which is why funeral homes are the perfect space.
3. Announcement of death
The funeral home is responsible for notifying people in the community–as well as outside of it–of the passing of an individual. They take care of the death notice and making death announcements on forums so that anyone who knew and loved the deceased is aware that they are gone and knows how to respond.
4. Planning guidance
When you are grief-stricken and overwhelmed, it is difficult to think straight, little less plan something as involved as a funeral or a memorial service. Regardless if you choose cremation or traditional burial, there are many steps that need to be taken care of. A funeral home is responsible for making sure everything is done on time so that the family can heal.
5. Organizing legal documents
A funeral home helps individuals dealing with the death of a loved one by assisting with the legalities involved. Being responsible for filing the death certificate and other legal forms, funeral homes take care of many legal matters so that the family members can focus on the grieving process and getting through the funeral instead of worrying about paperwork.
6. Organizing little details
If you haven’t ever organized a funeral before, it is easy to forget about things like flowers, memorial cards or any other arrangements that have to be made. A funeral home takes care of the little details so that the family can worry about the major changes that are taking place.
As you can now tell, funeral homes are about more than just traditional funerals. They take care of all aspects of death to alleviate a lot of familial stress. It isn’t that people can’t organize a funeral on their own, it is just that it makes more sense for loved ones to focus on grieving by allowing someone else to take care of the mindless things that really, in the scheme of things, don’t matter when your heart is hurting.Â