Being a Mortician
The word mortician brings what images to mind? The career of a mortician is surprisingly different than it is portraied in movies and books.
Being a mortician is a very rewarding job both personal as well as psychological to those with the temperament, training and discipline required to do the job properly. In this paper I'll be reporting the requirements to become a mortician, also called funeral director or undertaker, the duties the job requires of you, and the outlook of this career in the future of the United
States.
To become a funeral director in the United States today isn't an easy task. You need to be twenty-one, a high school graduate with some undergraduate college work, as well as at least one year of
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If the body is disfigured in any way you may be required to do some restorative procedures on the body, using materials such as clay, cotton, plaster of Paris and wax
(Lamers 535). You would be required to fill in any open wounds left on the body by law, but would use a picture of the deceased and try to make them appear as life-like as possible for the showing (Shipley 201). "Most important, however, are the tasks in which you guide, counsel and become involved in the needs of the bereaved and the sensitive, effective manner in which you handle their personal grief"(IRN 6). When the body has been embalmed and taken care of you need to help the family choose a casket from the display room the they wish there loved one be laid in(Shipley 178). "On the actual day of the funeral service, you attend to the many, many ceremonial, logistical, and administrative details which are required to make sure that the funeral service goes smoothly and in strict accord with the wishes of the family or other survivors"(Lamers
541). "You should be prepared to suggest and arrange any type of funeral service, sacred or secular, that will best meet the needs of the bereaved. Creative, alternative ceremonies in keeping with the deceased's lifestyle can have special significance and meaning to the family. For example, close friends and relatives may be asked to participate in the service, or special
The body is now ready for casketing. Like in any business, there are some special secrets to casketing. According to Mitford, the right shoulder of the body has to be “depressed slightly to turn the body a bit to the right and soften the appearance of lying flat on the back.” Positioning the hands and feet is as important as everything that was done before. There are special rubber blocks that are used for this purpose. Finally, the body is placed in the casket as high as possible, and the mortician gives attention to the last details.
My responsibility as a care assistant is to deliver a very high standard service to individuals. This includes support for everyday living e.g. bathing, dressing, personal hygiene and general domestic tasks. Before performing any activities for the day, I go through my clients care plan and get all the information about the clients and any changes that may have occurred.
You’ve probably heard the old saying. “Only two things in life are certain: death and taxes” It’s true: at some point, we all will die. Although you may think death is an unpleasant subject, it is something that everybody must cope with. People are different all over the world, but death is one thing that everyone has in common. ( Stair, choosing a career in mortuary science and the funeral industry 6)
that it be embalmed"(IRN 6). After the body is brought to the funeral home, you
3) Task roles are defined by a task that needs doing, and a person is asked or appointed to fill it.
* Must act as an advocate for those in one’s care, helping them to access relevant health and social care, information and support.
Most people contact funeral homes whenever a relative of theirs has passed. In most cases, the family gets good services and everything goes right, but there are also scenarios where things go totally wrong. The sad truth is, in many cases, many families do not find out the truth that happens inside the funeral homes. Bodies have been misplaced, cremations have been done wrong or not done in some cases, and body parts have been stolen (FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY ABUSE). That is just some of the few things that have happened. Funeral homes are known for charging a lot for funerals and in many cases use their knowledge to convince people to buy more expensive things. Funeral homes have their ways where they outsmart people and they also in some
Being a funeral director takes having a strong stomach and skill dealing with grief. There are many different ways people mourn. Religions have different rites as well as celebration of someone’s life. Every culture and civilization has three common threads dealing with death and their final internment. There are three main steps when someone dies. First is the preparation of the body, then some type of ceremony, and finally internment.
The amount of annual revenue allocated to funeral home versus cremation services is quickly evening out, and cremation is predicted by the NFDA to completely overtake burial selection within the next
|responsibility to work with residents in their communities and advocated with them for resources. Many times leaders are present in the |
Depending on the nature of the job, these tasks may include individual or group work, written and/or oral input and written and/or oral outputs on the day such as in-tray exercises, analytical work, individual problem solving, group discussions, group problem solving, tasks which match business activities, personal role-play and functional role-play.
Criticisms of American funeral practices have been made publicly aware since the 1920’s, and actually go back to ancient times in the scope of human’s ceremonies for the dead. Since the first published argument against modern funerals various authors joined the movement publishing their disparagements of customs for the deceased; that in essence contend the grandiosity and lavish displays are merely a social and psychological representation of the monetary opportunity of funerals (DeSpelder & Strickland, 2015, p. 306-307). Even further, regarding the encompassing funeral industry as exploiting grieving loved ones for their financial gains, while disregarding the actual needs of modern society (DeSpelder & Strickland, 2015, p. 307).
After some research on five current trends in the funeral service operations, I decided to choose the following submerging topics: personalization, technology, “green” funerals, women in the industry and pet funerals. In regards to personalization, Shivon loved the idea that more services were becoming specific to a deceased individual’s life. Families are trying to seek ways to make meaningful funeral services, while helping with the grieving process. “The idea of personalization has resulted in an explosion of unique services that reflect the hobbies, passions and interests of someone who has died” (National Funeral Directors Association, 2017). With technology on the rise, it is only appropriate for funeral homes to jump on the
In pursuing this further, there are several aspects to this topic; such as, preplanning, financial planning, cost, and the surviving family members. Funeral planning is something we all will have to do at one point in our lives, but where should we begin? It is a good idea to start with the preplanning of the funeral. Preplanning is crucial; it provides piece of mind, especially for surviving family. As said earlier, discussing one 's mortality is an extremely uncomfortable topic; however, by preplanning a funeral, it will relieve the family of having to make important decisions during a period of immense stress and grief. Furthermore, preplanning gives time to explore the options for a ceremony and allows time to discuss the financial aspects. It also gives a chance to choose a funeral home that best suit ones needs and budget.
Mankind’s history of burial practices and funeral customs are as old as civilization itself. There is no specific way to planning a funeral. Every civilization and culture has provided for their dead in different ways. Religion and personal beliefs play an important role in the burial practices and funeral customs of a given culture or civilization. Furthermore, each civilization and cultured ever studied have three things in common: some type of funeral rites, rituals, and ceremonies; A sacred place for the dead; and memorialization of the dead. As far back as the time of Christ, burials have been noted to take place. In time burial and funeral customs have become very distinct, interesting and