The key to any successful aftercare program is to first assess the resources of your own business and your community. First, take a look at your business:
Do you have the staff resources to run an aftercare program?
Who is available?
How often are they available?
Can you provide additional training for staff?
Are you already providing some services to bereaved families after the funeral?
Next, take a look at your community:
What resources are already available for grieving people?
Are there qualified people running support groups or offering other services?
Do hospice, clergy, mental
health, hospital or social agencies provide grief counseling services or other bereavement assistance?
What is missing in the community that you can provide?
Is there anyone in the
community suited to running a program for you?
Don't reinvent the wheel. If your community already has qualified persons running support groups or providing other services to the bereaved, it may not be necessary for you to provide the same services.
There may be other ways that your funeral home can support grieving individuals. We will look at some of those options later.
Networking with existing aftercare-givers in your community can expose you to what
still needs to be done. When you talk to professionals who are actively involved in working with the bereaved, you will get a closer look at programs being offered and may find someone who can lend his or her
expertise to your program. Determine what your funeral home's role can be.
