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Hospices, Funeral Directors Collaborate

Funeral homes have begun collaborating with hospice facilities to support grieving families. About 75 percent of people surveyed believe that a funeral is important for dealing with the grieving process. * (http://goo.gl/M7EMXs) Studies have shown the staffs of both work well together because ultimately, they are achieving the same goal – to help families cope with death. According to the National Hospice Professional Care Organization, the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association and the National Funeral Directors Association, more than half of members of those organizations collaborate on bereavement issues.
 

Benefits of Funeral Homes Working with Hospice

It only makes sense. As partners in the community we put our families first. Our main objective is to ensure a seamless experience for the family
 
Other benefits include:

  1. Easier transition from hospice to funeral care
  2. Offer bereavement counseling
  3. Hospice can give funeral directors advice because the workers are trusted advisers to family members
  4. Funeral directors can answer questions about traditional rituals
  5. Less stress for families

 

What Services Provided by Hospice and Funeral Directors?

Hospice is a “concept of care,” rather than a place. Its main purpose is to provide the patient/family with the highest quality of life available to the dying. No matter where hospice care is provided, there are certain characteristics that distinguish it from conventional medical care. Hospice personnel offer programs under medical direction, care delivered by interdisciplinary team, relieve symptoms, institutional care, focus on family and patient care, 24/7 care, bereavement counseling before and after death, and coordinated efforts for spiritual and psychological well-being of family and patient.

Funeral directors provide pre-arranged funeral planning. They help families address issues that often are too difficult to do after someone dies. They also work with hospice members by providing leadership on burial rituals and concerns that need to be addressed.
 

A Not for Profit New York City Funeral Home Leads with a Variety of Initiatives

Plaza Jewish Community Chapel was an early adapter to collaborating with Hospice and Palliative care organizations. Most recently Plaza sponsored an event for the good work of HOSPICE BY THE SEA and HOSPICE OF PALM BEACH COUNTY. In addition, Plaza does educational programs in various hospice facilities dealing with Jewish Rituals at the End of Life. This is a program for all end of life care givers.

Because caring for the terminally ill is important, in 2010, Mount Sinai Hospital School of Medicine and Plaza Jewish Community Chapel Inc. began a pilot program, to provide palliative care counseling to two groups of patients who rarely receive it – those with kidney failure or moderate to severe memory loss. The program then became “Geritalk”. The partnership was announced at Plaza Jewish Community Chapel’s 10th Bereavement Conference in New York.
 
With support from Plaza, Mount Sinai provides palliative care to patients who have kidney disease or dementia as these patients are often overlooked as candidates for palliative care, which is the medical care focused on relieving pain and other symptoms while offering support to patients and their families.
 
Both funeral directors and hospice workers understand the importance of collaborating on care for patients at the end of life and their families. Funeral homes like Plaza Jewish Community Chapel not only help families transition after the death of a friend or family member, but are part of the process at the end of ones life.

Categories: End of Life Care and Planning, Plaza Grants

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