We continue to see that funeral directors who are members of the Order of the Golden Rule (OGR) are an especially resourceful group. They look at challenges as opportunities to shift business practices to accommodate changing regulations. They find ways to care for families while maintaining safety protocols. They reach out to one another in support and camaraderie.

Coronavirus Media Interviews: 8 Talking Points for Funeral Directors, Crematory Staff, Cemetarians, and Other Death-Care Workers
by Alan D. Wolfelt, Ph.D.

We continue to see that funeral directors who are members of the Order of the Golden Rule (OGR) are an especially resourceful group. They look at challenges as opportunities to shift business practices to accommodate changing regulations. They find ways to care for families while maintaining safety protocols. They reach out to one another in support and camaraderie.

You may be worried about how this pandemic will affect the finances of your funeral home and what steps you should be taking to address the business impact of COVID-19. Dan Isard of The Foresight Companies discussed these steps in a conversation with OGR on Tuesday, March 31. He shared what funeral directors need to know now to make the best business decisions during this time of economic uncertainty.

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, funeral directors are continuing to do what they do best; demonstrate compassion and care to the families they serve and find innovative ways to continue to reach their communities. They put themselves at risk every day to fulfill their calling and often go unrecognized.  

This month, we’ll be featuring a few of the men and women who will be facilitating education sessions at OGR’s 2020 Annual Conference & Solution Center in Asheville, NC at the Omni Grove Park Inn. OGR will be hosting a 3-hour deep dive session on Monday afternoon for those who’d like to explore staying competitive in a cremation market.

“Where there is deep grief, there was great love.”

The complete interview originally appeared in the winter issue of OGR’s quarterly magazine The Independent.

This is a profession that changes how we look at life. Each time we are with a family that is experiencing the loss of a loved one, it reminds us to examine how we are living our own life. Socrates wrote, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” He has a point. So I will access my inner philosopher and expound on the virtues of what I have learned about life from working in death care.

This post is an excerpt from an article that was published in the Summer 2019 issue of the The Independent® magazine