Monday, November 12, 2012

MORE THAN A FUNERAL DIRECTOR

Funeral directors are not clergymen, and most are not psychologists, although they may have had some training in psychology. However, the great majority are competent to act as counselors to people during a critical time in their lives.

All of us have problems and most problems are treated by laymen (spouses, friends, neighbors) in informal settings.  The funeral director's role as a counselor is extremely important.  He has certain advantages over specialists in performing some counseling functions; he is at a disadvantage in attempting to perform others.

The funeral director has become a counselor because of circumstances.  Some funeral directors feel uncomfortable in the role and would prefer to avoid it.  Others accept it as part of their function and even find they have a gift for it.  The process is really one of self-selection.  The funeral director who seems to welcome issues of grief is probably equipped to deal with them.

Monday, November 5, 2012

DEALING WITH BURNOUT

Sometimes, when a family members take care of a dying person day in and day out, they experience a kind of burnout.  This is something that the dying person's family must watch for carefully.  Relatives and friends can work with a dying person for only so long before reaching the limits of their endurance.  Just as a body becomes fatigued, so the spirit can be overexposed to the strain, worry, and anguish that nursing care demands.

In order to minimize the chances of this happening, people doing the nursing must learn to pace themselves and to gauge their limits.  If, after long periods of taking care of a sick person, they observe a tendency toward increasing irritation, or chronic fatigue, or depression, it means that a pause is in order - a day off, a quick vacation to clear the head, a change of scenery.  It doesn't mean you care less, only that you want to care for the person in the best way possible.