News stories continue to show the impact COVID-19 has on grieving families, funeral directors, and society in general. Stores are now running out of sympathy cards.
The Funeral Leader: Medical Examiner Contracts COVID-19 from a Dead Body
An article in a medical journal written by experts appears to suggest that a medical examiner in Thailand contracted COVID-19 from a deceased person. Up until now, transmission was thought to take place only through living breathing people. READ THE FULL STORY HERE
The Funeral Leader: Ideas Funeral Directors Can Share with Families
During this time of great uncertainty, families who lose loved ones are hit with a harsh realization: They will not be able to gather and gain a sense of closure in the ways they normally would.
More than anyone, those in funeral care understand how beneficial it is to pay tribute when a friend or family member dies. That’s why it’s important to have ideas on hand for families so they can begin the grieving process when normal rituals aren’t possible. Families are looking to you for comfort and strength as they not only face shock and sadness over a death but also over their inability to honor their loved one the way they want to.
New York Times: Opinion Piece on Funeral Directors Risking Their Lives to Care for COVID-19 Victims
We talk a lot about the emergency medical workers and doctors and nurses whom we clap for every evening. But funeral directors are the last responders on the front lines — the people who come after someone has died. While they help families say their final goodbyes, funeral directors and their teams operate largely in the background.
New York Times: Hasidic Families Hit Hard by Virus
The coronavirus has hit the Hasidic Jewish community in the New York area with devastating force, killing influential religious leaders and tearing through large, tight-knit families at a rate that community leaders and some public health data suggest may exceed that of other ethnic or religious groups.
The city does not track deaths by religion, but Hasidic news media report that roughly 700 members of the community in the New York area have died from Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus.
The Hill: Opinion About Unprecedented Grief
Scholars and mental health providers have spent three decades studying death and grief, coming to understand the processes and best ways to care of the bereaved. Unfortunately, little of that research speaks to our circumstances. READ THE FULL COLUMN
New York Times: Sympathy Cards are Selling Out
It’s not just toilet paper anymore. With so many deaths, the sympathy card section is sold out.
Need note cards and want to know the best way to write a condolence card? Read this blog post: Easy How To Tips for Writing a Condolence Card or Note.