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Page A18
JANUARY 2013
FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS
S ec t i on A
NEWARK,NJ—
The vast
majority of U.S. “Baby
Boomer” Catholics (ages
45+) considers themselves
to be very knowledgeable
about the requirements of
a Catholic funeral. How-
ever, according to a sur-
vey released by the
Arch-
dioceses of Newark
,
New
York
,
and Hartford, CT
,
and conducted by
Harris
Interactive
, younger Cath-
olics (ages 35-44) are, in
fact, more knowledgeable
of these requirements.
In particular, younger
By Jim Starks, CFuE, CCrE
Jim Starks, CFuE, CCrE, is President of J. Starks Consulting in
Lutz, FL, and a nationally-recognized trainer on funeral home and
crematory risk management.
He used his experience in both funeral home and crematory op-
erations and risk management, combined with his involvement
with funeral homes of all sizes and geographies, to become an au-
thority at controlling risk and loss in the death care industry, pro-
viding lectures and presentations to private firms, as well as region-
al, state and national associations. He also conducts private audits
and risk assessments to independent funeral homes and cremato-
ries in the US and Canada, often identifying ways to save or gener-
ate thousands of dollars of profit.
Jim is a Michigan and Indiana Licensed Funeral Director and
Embalmer and ICCFA- and CANA-certified crematory operator, as
well as Dean of ICCFA University’s College of Cremation Services.
He is a graduate of the University of Wyoming, the Mid-America
School of Mortuary Science, and the ICCFA University. For more
information on risk management in the death care industry, vis-
it
Contact Jim at (813) 765-9844 or jim@
jstarksconsulting.com.
Liability-Safe Cremation
Procedures are Necessary from
Receiving to Final Return
(Part 1)
Policies and procedures that cover recordkeeping and
guarantee an appropriate standard of care to ensure li-
ability-safe cremation don’t end once the deceased is
cremated.
Similar to the necessity to establish procedures to
verify the correct human remains are cremated, every
firm should implement policies and procedures dur-
ing the final stages when cremated human remains are
returned to the authorized representative to avoid po-
tential mistakes.
Notably, procedures regarding returning cremat-
ed human remains protect both the family of the de-
ceased and the firm. Practicing correct identification
procedures when returning cremated human remains
is critical; and if not done correctly it could cost your
firm profits, legal liability and unwanted press.
Accordingly, policies regarding cremation must cov-
er procedures from before the time the deceased is re-
leased to the crematory until the time the cremated
human remains are released to the authorized repre-
sentative at the funeral home.
Treat cremated human remains with the same level
of dignity and respect as a deceased to be embalmed.
Liability-safe cremation requires not only a system-
atic approach but a respectful one. A factor many fu-
And while cremated human remains are temporar-
ily stored in a secured location, they must never be
stacked on top of each other. Just like you would not
stack human remains on top of each other, cremated
human remains must not be stacked.
Locked closets or locked file cabinets are acceptable
storage areas. However, many funeral homes don’t
have an available area that can safely hold cremated
human remains.
In such cases, a Gladiator cabinet, which comes
with shelving and a lockable door, is a good solution.
Gladiator cabinets made by Whirlpool cost about
$300 and are available at big box home improvement
stores. Using such containers allows funeral homes to
place the cabinet somewhere that works in the funeral
home instead of carving out an area that is needed for
another purpose.
Part 2 will deal with documents and extended ser-
vices.
Whenever I write an article on cremation, I attempt
to upgrade the cremation procedures that many of the
death care providers are currently following. These proce-
dures may take more time or may add cost to your firm.
If they do, you may want to research what you are charg-
ing and adjust to reflect the dignity and respect that ev-
eryone needs to have when dealing with the consumers
that chose cremation.
neral home owners don’t consider when developing cre-
mation procedures is the manner in which the cremated
human remains are handled.
Both funeral homes and crematories must identify and
address the risks involved with providing cremation ser-
vices to ensure their business’ financial future and repu-
tation. If staff members consider cremation cases less im-
portant than burial cases that attitude is reflected in their
actions, from the way the cremated human remains are
handled to how they are stored prior to delivery to the
family.
If the staff does not make the extra effort to assure the
process is carried out with dignity, it increases the oppor-
tunity for careless handling, which leads to lawsuits. The
level of reverence given to cremation cases is also broad-
cast in interactions with family members, such as when
making arrangements or delivering cremated human re-
mains. This can greatly impact overall customer satisfac-
tion and may be the difference between lost or gained
revenue opportunities.
Once the cremated human remains are back in control
of the funeral home’s employees, everyone must contin-
ue to remember that the remains were someone’s mother,
father, sibling or child. On the way back to the funeral
home, the cremated human remains should never be car-
ried like a football or placed in the trunk of the auto.
Transportation must be made with dignity and respect.
This standard of care continues once the cremated hu-
man remains arrive back at the funeral home until they
are claimed by the authorized representative or taken to
the cemetery for burial. For example, storing cremated
human remains on hallway shelves, an arranger’s desk or
behind the office manager’s desk is unacceptable as those
are not secured locations.
Remember, cremated human remains cannot be re-
placed if lost. To prevent loss, every funeral home should
store cremated human remains in a secured location with
limited access until they are ready for release or transfer
to a cemetery.
Protecting
Your Families
and Business
Younger Catholics More
Knowledgeable and More Traditional
Than Older Catholics in Recent Survey
on Burial Preferences
Catholics, ages 35-44,
More Likely Than Those ages 45+ to
Opt for a Traditional Catholic Burial
Catholics are overwhelm-
ingly more likely to know
that the required elements
of a Catholic funeral
should include: a Funeral
Mass (90% v. 78%) and a
Vigil or wake service (54%
v. 41%).
The Archdioceses of
Newark, New York, and
Hartford, CT, commis-
sioned Harris Interactive
to field this study, which
was conducted online be-
tween August 17 and Sep-
tember 10, 2012 among a
nationwide cross section of
1,007 U.S. Catholics ages
35+.
It’s surprising to find that
younger Catholics also ap-
pear to be significantly
more traditional than older
Catholics when it comes to
following the requirements
of their faith for funeral ar-
rangements. For example,
younger Catholics (35%)
are considerably more like-
ly than their older counter-
parts (24%) to prefer the
traditional full casket in-
ground burial.
“The Catholic cemetery
is an integral part of the
Church, a visible sign of
the bond between the liv-
ing and the dead in the
Communion of Saints,”
said The
Most Reverend
John J. Myers
, Archbishop
of Newark. “Yet sadly, the
results of this survey give
all of us involved in this
important ministry – cler-
gy and laity alike – much
to think about in terms of
re-emphasizing specific el-
ements of Catholic burial
traditions.
“For example,” the Arch-
bishop continued, “a sig-
nificant number of young-
er Catholics appear to
understand and embrace
the traditional elements of
Catholic burial, but some
who would consider cre-
mation also believe that
they can scatter their re-
mains – an act not in keep-
ing with Catholic belief.
Also, we’ve learned from
this survey that many Baby
Boomers, who grew up in
a time of changing percep-
tions generally in our soci-
ety, do not have as strong
an understanding about