Funeral Homes Adjust, Limit Current Services
March 22, 2020 at 10:20 p.m.
By Jackie [email protected]
Cory Benz, Titus Funeral Home director and owner, said his business has had to keep a check on limiting people coming into the funeral home.
“We have people who want to grieve,” Benz said, and in some cases that means large groups.
Benz said Titus Funeral Home will look at cleanliness at the funeral home.
“Cleanliness has always been at the forefront” at Titus Funeral Home, but is so “especially now,” Benz said. That includes putting hand sanitizer at the entrance as well as increasing the funeral home’s cleaning schedule.
Ron Redpath, Redpath-Fruth Funeral Home director and owner, said their staff is using common sense when it comes to restrictions they may implement, limiting the number people in the funeral home, putting hand sanitizer at the front door and promoting hand washing.
Richard Owen, Owen Family Funeral Homes director and owner, said employees are still in the buildings, but that might change if there’s not a need to have people there for funerals. He and his staff are trying to follow the recommendations and mandates as much as possible.
“We don’t want to put someone in jeopardy,” Owen said.
“It’s bad enough to lose someone,” Redpath said. “the pandemic is making things worse.”
The funeral home’s staff just has to be prepared for any situation, Redpath said.
“We remain committed and prepared to safely care for the families we serve during the novel coronavirus pandemic. Whenever possible, we will continue to enable families to participate in the rituals that are most important to them,” according to a press release on the coronavirus that Redpath said Redpath-Fruth Funeral Home, Titus Funeral Home and McHatton-Sadler Funeral Chapel signed off on. “A member of the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), (the funeral homes) regularly receive information via NFDA from the CDC, Department of Health and Human Services and other agencies about the evolution of COVID-19 in the United States. NFDA continues to lead the conversation with federal officials about the role of funeral service as it relates to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
According to the press release, there is no known risk associated with being in the same room at a funeral or visitation service with the body of someone who died of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 according to the CDC.
“Funeral service remains committed to serving the public since the late 1860s, as it has since outbreaks of typhoid fever, Spanish flu, diphtheria, polio, measles, whooping cough, H1N1, etc.,” said John Sadler, McHatton-Sadler Funeral Chapel’s director and owner. “Personal protection recommendations have been published and all should follow these guidelines, as does our profession.”
“Services have not been cancelled or postponed unless requested. As a profession, we continue to honor our families as they desire to pay tribute to the life of those they love,” Sadler said. “While future edicts may change, our profession remains prepared to serve our fellow man and community.”
Mark Hartzler, Hartzler Funeral Services funeral director and owner, said his business has not been busy in the last two weeks with at-need situations.
That has allowed Hartzler Funeral Services to hear what other funeral homes are doing and determine how they handle upcoming situations, noting they are also trying to follow local, state and federal mandates as best as possible.
“Our number one focus is going to be the protection of the living,” Hartzler said. He said he doesn’t think his funeral homes will restrict immediate family members from a service, stating the restrictions are for congregating people. They will restrict the immediate family to a private-type service.
Benz said it was hard to guage how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting his funeral home financially because death is fluid.
Redpath said funeral homes offer an essential service, having to provide their service to people.
“Death is really unpredictable,” he said.
“We can’t stop death,” Owen said.
Redpath said all the families have opted for the services they normally would, but the number attending haven’t been so great.
Hartzler said he had several situations where plans were rearranged. He has also had people call in inquiring about cremations.
Owen said he has seen a decrease in his business because people are cutting down on services, noting when people cut back on funeral services, it cuts back on what you would have charged for that funeral.
Benz did say services are smaller, but it’s not by the family’s request necessarily, it’s more of the fact people don’t want to come out. Families still want their traditions and how their families have always done things.
Benz said Titus Funeral Home does allow for families to see a family member, proceed with a private burial and set up a memorial later free of charge. The other option the funeral home does offer is hold onto a family’s loved one for awhile, but families want to grieve.
Benz said he does know of some churches that are wary of having public services, but he has not run into problems with booking a church as of yet.
The funeral directors talked about how the pandemic is having an affect on the families.
Hartzler said that positive for the funeral home is there have been enough situations with the coronavirus pandemic, that people are aware of what is going on.
However, a funeral is a time when people can grieve, Owen said.
“It’s tough,” Owen said, also talking about the distance restrictions people are taking, saying people are trying not to touch each other at services.
“(People) want to hug (the family), they want to show they care. It’s just touch from so far away,” Owen said.
Families are coming in, acting like they normally would, Redpath said. They’re calm.
“People are wonderful and they’re understanding,” Redpath said.
Cory Benz, Titus Funeral Home director and owner, said his business has had to keep a check on limiting people coming into the funeral home.
“We have people who want to grieve,” Benz said, and in some cases that means large groups.
Benz said Titus Funeral Home will look at cleanliness at the funeral home.
“Cleanliness has always been at the forefront” at Titus Funeral Home, but is so “especially now,” Benz said. That includes putting hand sanitizer at the entrance as well as increasing the funeral home’s cleaning schedule.
Ron Redpath, Redpath-Fruth Funeral Home director and owner, said their staff is using common sense when it comes to restrictions they may implement, limiting the number people in the funeral home, putting hand sanitizer at the front door and promoting hand washing.
Richard Owen, Owen Family Funeral Homes director and owner, said employees are still in the buildings, but that might change if there’s not a need to have people there for funerals. He and his staff are trying to follow the recommendations and mandates as much as possible.
“We don’t want to put someone in jeopardy,” Owen said.
“It’s bad enough to lose someone,” Redpath said. “the pandemic is making things worse.”
The funeral home’s staff just has to be prepared for any situation, Redpath said.
“We remain committed and prepared to safely care for the families we serve during the novel coronavirus pandemic. Whenever possible, we will continue to enable families to participate in the rituals that are most important to them,” according to a press release on the coronavirus that Redpath said Redpath-Fruth Funeral Home, Titus Funeral Home and McHatton-Sadler Funeral Chapel signed off on. “A member of the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), (the funeral homes) regularly receive information via NFDA from the CDC, Department of Health and Human Services and other agencies about the evolution of COVID-19 in the United States. NFDA continues to lead the conversation with federal officials about the role of funeral service as it relates to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
According to the press release, there is no known risk associated with being in the same room at a funeral or visitation service with the body of someone who died of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 according to the CDC.
“Funeral service remains committed to serving the public since the late 1860s, as it has since outbreaks of typhoid fever, Spanish flu, diphtheria, polio, measles, whooping cough, H1N1, etc.,” said John Sadler, McHatton-Sadler Funeral Chapel’s director and owner. “Personal protection recommendations have been published and all should follow these guidelines, as does our profession.”
“Services have not been cancelled or postponed unless requested. As a profession, we continue to honor our families as they desire to pay tribute to the life of those they love,” Sadler said. “While future edicts may change, our profession remains prepared to serve our fellow man and community.”
Mark Hartzler, Hartzler Funeral Services funeral director and owner, said his business has not been busy in the last two weeks with at-need situations.
That has allowed Hartzler Funeral Services to hear what other funeral homes are doing and determine how they handle upcoming situations, noting they are also trying to follow local, state and federal mandates as best as possible.
“Our number one focus is going to be the protection of the living,” Hartzler said. He said he doesn’t think his funeral homes will restrict immediate family members from a service, stating the restrictions are for congregating people. They will restrict the immediate family to a private-type service.
Benz said it was hard to guage how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting his funeral home financially because death is fluid.
Redpath said funeral homes offer an essential service, having to provide their service to people.
“Death is really unpredictable,” he said.
“We can’t stop death,” Owen said.
Redpath said all the families have opted for the services they normally would, but the number attending haven’t been so great.
Hartzler said he had several situations where plans were rearranged. He has also had people call in inquiring about cremations.
Owen said he has seen a decrease in his business because people are cutting down on services, noting when people cut back on funeral services, it cuts back on what you would have charged for that funeral.
Benz did say services are smaller, but it’s not by the family’s request necessarily, it’s more of the fact people don’t want to come out. Families still want their traditions and how their families have always done things.
Benz said Titus Funeral Home does allow for families to see a family member, proceed with a private burial and set up a memorial later free of charge. The other option the funeral home does offer is hold onto a family’s loved one for awhile, but families want to grieve.
Benz said he does know of some churches that are wary of having public services, but he has not run into problems with booking a church as of yet.
The funeral directors talked about how the pandemic is having an affect on the families.
Hartzler said that positive for the funeral home is there have been enough situations with the coronavirus pandemic, that people are aware of what is going on.
However, a funeral is a time when people can grieve, Owen said.
“It’s tough,” Owen said, also talking about the distance restrictions people are taking, saying people are trying not to touch each other at services.
“(People) want to hug (the family), they want to show they care. It’s just touch from so far away,” Owen said.
Families are coming in, acting like they normally would, Redpath said. They’re calm.
“People are wonderful and they’re understanding,” Redpath said.
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