March 26, 2020 at 4:47 p.m.
Options altered
Pandemic has changed rules for funeral homes
It is about fulfilling a family’s needs.
That’s what funeral directors strive for.
Reaching that goal has become more difficult in a time of stay-at-home orders and restrictions on large gatherings.
Local funeral homes have all had to change they way they do things in the face of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the ever-changing restrictions that go along with it.
“Stressful,” said Rob Penrod of Williamson, Spencer and Penrod Funeral Home in Portland and Pennville, describing the job over the last few weeks. “It’s in our nature to want to help the family. Part of that is doing visitation and funeral without boundaries. With having boundaries, it’s hard for families to pick and choose who can come.”
Sometimes, those boundaries change between the time a service is scheduled and when it occurs.
“It was frustrating last week planning these funerals because things were changing as we were making arrangements,” said Ron Boeckman of Fort Recovery’s Brockman-Boeckman Funeral Home, adding that some planned services were nixed. “The family, they called … it all off.”
All of the local funeral directors are handling visitation and services during the pandemic in similar ways.
No. 1 on that list is making sure their facilities are properly cleaned and disinfected They’re also limiting the number of those who can attend a visitation or service, and providing hand sanitizer for those who do attend. Typically, they’re not publishing service times on their websites or in newspapers, but rather making them by invitation only.
“And if it’s a large family, it may have to be in increments,” said Dave Teeter of Baird-Freeman Funeral Home in Portland.
He hasn’t run into major issues since significant restrictions have been put in place. But he pointed out that just a few weeks ago he had a funeral in which the deceased had 14 children, which would have made it difficult to stay under the recommended number for gatherings.
The most recent changes to guidelines for funeral homes came early this week after Govs. Mike DeWine of Ohio and Eric Holcomb of Indiana issued stay-at-home orders. Those left local funeral directors awaiting guidance from state and national associations about how to move forward.
Indiana Funeral Directors Association delivered that guidance Monday, telling its members that all funeral events of any kind should be limited to no more than 10 at a given time, including the funeral director. All social distancing guidelines — staying 6 feet apart — remain in place.
“During a grief time, that’s hard,” said Jennifer Chamness of MJS Mortuaries, which operates facilities in Dunkirk, Redkey and Ridgeville. “It’s going to be real hard for families to be told you probably shouldn’t let everybody come. You probably should think about doing some of this remotely. You probably should consider not having a meal. The things that traditionally help people cope during a time of grief, they’re going to be told is not a good idea. So it’s going to be hard for them.”
In addition to the restrictions on visitations and services, funeral directors also have to take extra precautions when picking up deceased from hospitals and nursing homes. They want to protect themselves and the residents or patients.
While limiting in-person attendance at visitation and services, some local funeral homes are providing other options. Williamson, Spencer and Penrod and Wilson Shook Funeral Home, which has a chapel in Dunkirk, are offering online service options in an effort to allow families different options to accommodate their needs.
And families can hold small services now with a larger remembrance to come after the coronavirus restrictions are lifted. Funeral homes are also directing those who wish to leave condolences to do so on their websites.
Though restrictions are limiting in some ways, the ultimate goal remains to serve the families.
“Each family is going to be different,” said Teeter. “I can come up with different options for each family and try to accommodate their needs as much as we can to keep them safe and to keep the public safe. It’s really a tough deal. Their needs are No. 1.”
That’s what funeral directors strive for.
Reaching that goal has become more difficult in a time of stay-at-home orders and restrictions on large gatherings.
Local funeral homes have all had to change they way they do things in the face of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the ever-changing restrictions that go along with it.
“Stressful,” said Rob Penrod of Williamson, Spencer and Penrod Funeral Home in Portland and Pennville, describing the job over the last few weeks. “It’s in our nature to want to help the family. Part of that is doing visitation and funeral without boundaries. With having boundaries, it’s hard for families to pick and choose who can come.”
Sometimes, those boundaries change between the time a service is scheduled and when it occurs.
“It was frustrating last week planning these funerals because things were changing as we were making arrangements,” said Ron Boeckman of Fort Recovery’s Brockman-Boeckman Funeral Home, adding that some planned services were nixed. “The family, they called … it all off.”
All of the local funeral directors are handling visitation and services during the pandemic in similar ways.
No. 1 on that list is making sure their facilities are properly cleaned and disinfected They’re also limiting the number of those who can attend a visitation or service, and providing hand sanitizer for those who do attend. Typically, they’re not publishing service times on their websites or in newspapers, but rather making them by invitation only.
“And if it’s a large family, it may have to be in increments,” said Dave Teeter of Baird-Freeman Funeral Home in Portland.
He hasn’t run into major issues since significant restrictions have been put in place. But he pointed out that just a few weeks ago he had a funeral in which the deceased had 14 children, which would have made it difficult to stay under the recommended number for gatherings.
The most recent changes to guidelines for funeral homes came early this week after Govs. Mike DeWine of Ohio and Eric Holcomb of Indiana issued stay-at-home orders. Those left local funeral directors awaiting guidance from state and national associations about how to move forward.
Indiana Funeral Directors Association delivered that guidance Monday, telling its members that all funeral events of any kind should be limited to no more than 10 at a given time, including the funeral director. All social distancing guidelines — staying 6 feet apart — remain in place.
“During a grief time, that’s hard,” said Jennifer Chamness of MJS Mortuaries, which operates facilities in Dunkirk, Redkey and Ridgeville. “It’s going to be real hard for families to be told you probably shouldn’t let everybody come. You probably should think about doing some of this remotely. You probably should consider not having a meal. The things that traditionally help people cope during a time of grief, they’re going to be told is not a good idea. So it’s going to be hard for them.”
In addition to the restrictions on visitations and services, funeral directors also have to take extra precautions when picking up deceased from hospitals and nursing homes. They want to protect themselves and the residents or patients.
While limiting in-person attendance at visitation and services, some local funeral homes are providing other options. Williamson, Spencer and Penrod and Wilson Shook Funeral Home, which has a chapel in Dunkirk, are offering online service options in an effort to allow families different options to accommodate their needs.
And families can hold small services now with a larger remembrance to come after the coronavirus restrictions are lifted. Funeral homes are also directing those who wish to leave condolences to do so on their websites.
Though restrictions are limiting in some ways, the ultimate goal remains to serve the families.
“Each family is going to be different,” said Teeter. “I can come up with different options for each family and try to accommodate their needs as much as we can to keep them safe and to keep the public safe. It’s really a tough deal. Their needs are No. 1.”
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