Observing Hospice Palliative Care Week

It’s National Hospice Palliative Care Week in Canada. The theme 2020 is “Let’s bust the myths about Hospice Palliative Care!” There are so many myths that exist about dying, death and bereavement. Debunking myths Some of the big myths include: hospice palliative care can only be provided in specialized settings, receiving palliative care means death is imminent, children need to be protected from death and dying, and the list goes on. As you may have… Read more »

Death anniversaries

We don’t need a big, red circle around certain days on the calendar. These are the dates that are etched in our memories. We remember where we were, who we were with, and what time of year it was. Today marks the 30th anniversary of the death of my grandfather. In those 30 years there have been innumerable family milestones: births, weddings, graduations, and holiday gatherings. A diagnosis My grandfather was diagnosed with a brain… Read more »

Social media and funeral service

It’s World Social Media Day (#SMDay) – a day to recognize and celebrate social media’s impact on global communication. As funeral service professionals, we use social media as a ways and means of communicating with families, our community, and colleagues from around the world. Our first foray with online communication was the development of our website, www.macleanfh.com almost two decades ago. Since that time, we’ve developed our Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Google+ and Instagram pages,… Read more »

Dignity and respect for the deceased

Most Canadians prefer to die at home, yet almost 70% of deaths occur in a hospital. Most older adults die either in hospital or a long-term care facility. When we are called to receive the deceased into our care, we respond with care and compassion. Funeral directors have been trained to demonstrate dignity and respect for the deceased. For a number of years, we were asked to receive the individual through a back door, hidden… Read more »

Does the media need to publish disturbing photos?

This past weekend we read the editorial piece by Rick MacLean that ran in The Guardian. The title of the piece was “Disturbing photos part of news”. Mr. MacLean went on to recount coverage of the murder of a young woman in 1980’s, and the fact that the story made front page news. His dilemma was whether to publish an image of the late woman, and on what page of the publication. The duty of… Read more »