About

Funeral Directors Work Group

Gretchen R. Studeny, Chair; Philip W. Callahan, Co-Chair

Community Advisory Council member Phil Callahan, Callahan Brothers and Tony Athy, Athy Memorial Home; Jack Kazlauskas, Dirsa-Morin Funeral Home; Kurt Mangsen, Nordgren Funeral Service; Rick Mansfield, Miles Funeral Directors; Kevin Mercadante, Mercadante Funeral Home; Fran O’Connor, O’Connor Brothers Funeral Home; Peter Steffin, Graham, Putney and Mahoney Funeral Parlors and Gretchen Studeny, O’Connor Brothers Funeral Home

Promote Advance Care Planning
via A Guide for a Better Ending

Accomplished: The first meeting of this work group was held on April 15, 2003. Bill Densmore and Chris McCluskey reviewed the Overview of the Partnership program and the content of A Guide for a Better Ending. In discussing how funeral directors might support the program, participants showed enthusiasm for encouraging use of the Guide in conjunction with advance funeral planning. Phil Callahan has provided about 1,000 copies of AGuide for a Better Ending to area funeral directors, along with the flyers to be used on information racks or table displays. Bill Densmore described the Partnership to the June 2003 meeting of the funeral directors association.

Planned: To encourage effective use of the Guide, Phil Callahan will prepare and distribute to heads of funeral homes a memo that explains the benefits to a funeral home of encouraging their clients to use the Guide, and provides suggestions as to how to conduct the discussion. The Better Ending videotape will be offered and the website referenced. This will cover both preplanning situations and bereavement situations. The goal is for all funeral directors in Auburn, Leicester, Millbury, Shrewsbury, Holden and Worcester to be knowledgeable of the Partnership’s mission and to use the Guide and other materials.

Assist in Gathering Information
re: Family End-of-Life Experiences

Accomplished: At the work group meeting there was consensus that most funeral directors would be willing to provide meaningful feedback from funeral directors re: end of life experiences.

Planned: Under consideration is a survey among funeral directors asking for an online response to a questionnaire after meeting with families.

Provide Educational Offering to Funeral Directors

Accomplished: In order to increase exposure to A Guide for a Better Ending, the work group obtained certification from the state funeral licensing board for a CEU program for funeral directors.  At a luncheon meeting of the Central Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association on September 24, about thirty members of the association heard Chris McCluskey present the Better Ending story.

Planned: Develop standardized procedures for each funeral home to approach families about advance care planning and the use of Better Ending materials through providing literature, suggesting its display in a prominent place in the funeral home, and offering a mock family scenario regarding the material.