How Funeral Directors Assist Families
Iowa funeral homes rely on funeral directors to assist families during what is often a time filled with overwhelming grief and stress. While it may seem that the average funeral director has no other job but to manage the funeral home and help you schedule your memorial service, directors actually do much more than just work within the funeral home.
When a person decides to become a funeral director at one of the funeral homes in Iowa, it's often a decision that changes their life forever. That's because funeral directors deal with people when they are vulnerable, and it takes a special type of personality to be able to handle all of the responsibilities of running a funeral home and helping people deal with their grief.
The Main Job of an Iowa Funeral Director
The main components of a director's job at funeral homes in Iowa are to maintain the integrity of the funeral home and help families arrange the service for a deceased loved one. When you call Iowa funeral homes, you can speak with the director to explain your situation and clarify the type of help you need to arrange for a casket, a service, and either a burial or cremation. The director is the one who will help you choose a casket or urn, explain the different types of services provided by the funeral home, go over your financing options with you, and relay all of the information to the funeral home staff to insure that your loved one's funeral is respectful and follows the traditions or religious beliefs you have in place.
It's also the funeral directors job to insure that all of the funeral home staff are properly trained to deal with bereaved families. This includes training staff how to speak with people who are dealing with grief and sadness, how to explain the funeral process with compassion, and how to make the recommendations necessary to insure that the family gets everything they want from the service. While Iowa funeral homes offer training to staff, it's really up to the director to insure that all employees understand how to implement the best funeral practices.
The Director Handles Paperwork and Details
The funeral director gets involved long before the body gets to the funeral home. You can arrange for funeral homes in Iowa to transport the body from the morgue and start preparing the body for a memorial service. The funeral director can handle all of the necessary paperwork and insure that everything is approved legally.
Whether you choose to have the body cremated or have a traditional burial, the funeral director can handle all of the permits and paperwork necessary for the body disposition. Iowa funeral homes are aware of local laws regarding the funeral industry, so it's their job to make sure that you don't have to worry about the technicalities that surround death.
Extra Services Provided by a Funeral Home
Although funeral homes in Iowa will handle the technicalities for you, a funeral director and his or her staff provide much more to bereaved families than just handling the paperwork. Many funeral directors act as grief counselors, advisors, funeral planners, and party hosts. Funeral home staff are adept at spotting signs of grief and have experience dealing with families who are struggling to process the death. Although many funeral homes in Iowa don't employ grief counselors, they do have the necessary resources available to provide families with the recommendations needed for counseling or group sessions.
The funeral director can also assist you with any special requests. Many Iowa funeral homes are getting requests from family to perform special services or have some extras at the service. Many people are trying to celebrate life rather than mourn death, and the use of special services is one way families are trying to celebrate life. Some families request that funeral homes in Iowa procure doves or butterflies to release during the ceremony. Some Iowa funeral homes are even adding a room or converting an existing room into a reception area for families who want to host a get together directly after the funeral service.
Iowa funeral homes that specialize in making sure that clients get everything they need may even have connections for catering and planning so that families don't need to worry about the details of planning food and decorations for an after-service get together. More people are starting to rely on funeral homes in Iowa to provide services that extend beyond holding the funeral and making arrangements.
With the funeral industry becoming more competitive as funeral costs rise and families look to alternative means for body disposition, most Iowa funeral homes are willing to go above and beyond to meet the needs of families. By relying on the funeral homes in Iowa to handle all of the arrangements for the funeral and beyond, families are better able to grieve and process the death of a loved one.