Every funeral director I talk to wants to help families grieve better.

They take the time to explain processes delicately, offer warm hugs to console family members, and provide resources.

But once a service ends, they don’t know how else to support a family on their grief journey. That’s where this article comes in!

I’ll cover 3 ideas you can try that won’t cost you a lot of extra time or money to implement but that will pay dividends in your relationships with families.

1. Host grief events in your community

Grief can make someone feel isolated and lonely. No one should feel that way.

To help people grieve better, you can host events for families so they can remember their loved ones and see they’re not alone.

For our social media management clients, we help funeral homes promote events in their community for grieving families, widows, widowers, and the like. For example, some of our customers host holiday remembrance services. Families attend and place an ornament on a tree to remember their loved ones, share stories about them, and receive valuable information about healing. Though that’s one example, there are many different types of events you can host.

I’ve even seen some funeral homes create a grief support Facebook group and share relevant information through it. The page helps bring people together in the same way an event would. The options are endless.

2. Share relevant and helpful resources through aftercare

Another way to help families grieve better is by enrolling them in a funeral aftercare program.

After a service, your families will begin the healing process on their own. They’ll have to work through their grief while also working with an estate attorney to take care of all logistical tasks post death.

Some funeral homes don’t provide much support to families during the weeks and months after a service, but they might send a card or call occasionally. Then, there are those that use an aftercare program to stay connected to families, share valuable resources, and get Google reviews and referrals as a result.

With an aftercare program (like ours), families receive:

An informative aftercare newsletter each month with stories of hope and encouragement

Check-in text messages where they can chat with live responders

The opportunity to leave a Google review for your funeral home, set a preplanning appointment, and more

Unlimited free access to an educational website for grief support and estate help with videos, helpful articles, a support line, and more resources

Don’t have a consistent aftercare program? Read this article to learn more about why you should have it.

Have an aftercare program? Make sure it checks these 4 boxes.

3. Provide the video recordings of a funeral service

The last unexpected way to help families grieve better is by providing a way for them to rewatch the service whenever they need to.

Some funeral homes use a livestreaming service to broadcast the service in real time to remote attendees while recording the livestream as a video for attendees to watch at a later date. Others record the service as part of a funeral package and provide the video to families. Either way, rewatching the service can help families remember their loved ones, especially during a time when they were likely distracted greeting guests, preparing for a eulogy, and doing other tasks.

In the clip below, Ron Clyde, Director of Special Projects, shares how rewatching his mom’s livestreamed funeral service helped him grieve.

Check out this article to see the #1 reason to provide livestreaming.

If you provide a livestreaming service, watch this FD Talks podcast episode to learn 10 dos and don’ts.

These three ways help families grieve better and show that your funeral home goes above and beyond in your community. It also shows you provide amazing service and take care of families when they need you most.

What other unexpected ways help families grieve better? Let me know!