Those attending the 2021 Funeral Directors Convention and Expo in Atlantic City will have the opportunity to attend seminars from seven different presenters, each discussing a timely topic that is sure to be both enlightening and informative.

The Convention, held on September 22 and 23 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, will feature classes on restorative arts, ethics and the impact of COVID-19 on funeral directors, among others. Most of the seminars will be presented twice during the Convention so attendees will be able to choose the time that best fits their schedules.

Here is a list of the topics and speakers at this year’s Convention, presented chronologically:

Hiring and Retention of Today's Funeral Service Employee will be presented by Leili McMurrough. The seminar will feature a discussion on how to effectively communicate and integrate the millennial funeral director into the workplace. McMurrough is a licensed funeral director, embalmer and a licensed attorney. She is also a member of the American Board of Funeral Service Education Committee on Accreditation. This seminar will be presented from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on September 22 and from 1:15 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. on September 23.

Embalming Organ and Tissue Donors, presented by TJ Roser, will provide an overview of the donation process as well as the policies and procedures that organ procurement organizations must follow. Attendees will learn best practices for embalming organ and tissue donors. Roser is a Pennsylvania licensed funeral director and has served as a supervisor/partner in a family-owned funeral home. He also is a deputy coroner for the Indiana County, PA, Coroner’s Office. This seminar will be presented from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and from 3:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. on September 22.

Pandemic-Related Stress Among Funeral Workers will be presented by Kristy-Lee Jean-Pierre, Ph.D. This presentation aims to increase the understanding of the effect of work-related stress among funeral directors and deathcare workers. Jean-Pierre is the Clinical Director of Bellevue Hospital Center’s Child and Adolescent Outpatient Clinic. This seminar will only be presented once, from 9:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. on September 22.

The Essential Work of Funeral Directors During COVID-19, presented by George Scott, will offer an opportunity to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the funeral profession. Scott is a New Jersey Licensed Family Therapist practicing at the Center for Counseling Services in Mercer County, NJ, and specializing in helping individuals and families recover from the effects of life’s traumatic and toxic stress events. This seminar will be presented from 11:00 a.m. to noon and from 3:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. on September 22.

What Deathcare Can Learn from the 1918 Flu Pandemic and Excess Death, presented by Alexandra Jo, will cover what the deathcare profession can expect from excess death and the COVID-19 pandemic by comparing death rates in 2020 to statistics from the 1918 flu pandemic. Jo is the Content Manager at Parting Stone and is a former adjunct professor at several universities. This seminar will be presented from 9:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. on September 22 and from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on September 23.

Good People, Unethical Choices, presented by Lance Ray, will feature a review of why ethics are important to the funeral profession, the three parts of bad choices and why we all must work to keep ethics high in our business. Ray is the Chief Operating Officer for Pierce Chemical and he holds a funeral director/embalmers license in Texas. This seminar, which is accredited as a mandatory Ethics course, will be presented from 11:00 a.m. to noon on September 22 and from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on September 23.

The Relevance of Restorative Art, presented by Dominick Astorino, will challenge the way funeral directors of all experience levels view the value of restorative art in the profession, our communities and society. Astorino is a faculty member at Wayne State University School of Mortuary Science in Detroit, MI, where he oversees the lecturing and laboratory work for all restorative art courses. He will present the seminar from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and again from 1:15 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. on September 23.

Those wishing to attend the Convention but who have not yet registered will still be able to register onsite on both September 22 and 23. For a full listing of all Convention events, click here.

The work of identifying remains found at an Idaho funeral home continues. A Pennsylvania funeral director is sentenced to prison for theft. And a 1,500-year-old joint burial sheds light on thoughts of the afterlife. These stories and more are in the week in funeral news.

NEWS

Idaho Police Say All but One Body Recovered from Funeral Home Have Been Identified
By the Idaho State Journal
Investigators have identified all but one of a dozen bodies that were recently removed from a Pocatello, ID, funeral home as part of an ongoing investigation into “suspicious circumstances.” Read more here.

Joint Burial of Two 1,500-Year-Old Skeletons Offers a Look into Attitudes Toward Love and the Afterlife
By Caitlin Clark (Texas A&M University)
On the left side of the grave, the male skeleton lays with one arm outstretched, holding the abdomen of the female skeleton by its side. The woman's face is pressed into his shoulder, left hand resting across his waist; on her fourth finger is a simple silver ring. Read more here.

The History Shaping Memorial Services for Fallen Service Members
By Jeffrey Smith (The Washington Post)
Thirteen families are undertaking the painful process of mourning the deaths of young troops killed by a suicide bomber at a Kabul, Afghanistan, airport gate. President Biden stood at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware when their flag-draped coffins arrived. Most of the families will say goodbye to their loved ones at national cemeteries across the country and their graves will be marked with a recognizable gravestone that makes clear their service and their sacrifice. Read more here.

Pennsylvania Funeral Home Director Sentenced to Prison for Stealing $250K from Client’s Estate
By the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office
A Chester County, PA, funeral director who was charged with using his capacity as power of attorney and estate executor to steal money from an 84-year-old, terminally ill victim, has been sentenced to serve two and a half to five years in a correctional facility. Read more here.

Former Employee Describes Disturbing Conditions at Nevada Funeral Home
By Joe Moeller (KLAS)
Weeks after a Las Vegas, NV, funeral home was put on a six-month suspension by the state for reasons that included the mishandling of bodies, a former employee is describing what he saw. Read more here.

CORONAVIRUS NEWS

Andre Dawson Says His Florida Funeral Home is Swamped with COVID-19 Deaths
By Chris Cwik (Yahoo! Sports)
MLB Hall of Famer Andre Dawson wants people to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Dawson–who now works as a mortician–has been putting in long hours at his funeral home in Miami to deal with rising COVID deaths in Florida, according to WGN Chicago. Read more here.

The 2021 Funeral Directors Convention and Expo in Atlantic City will be different from past years’ events.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, our host facility, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, must abide by certain protocols to enhance the safety of its guests and staff. So here are several safety measures in place for the Convention on September 22 and 23:

• The New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association and the Hard Rock are not requiring proof of vaccination or mandating the wearing of masks by vendors and guests. The NJSFDA, however, highly encourages attendees to wear masks during the event. Messaging and signs will reinforce that encouragement throughout the Convention. Also, NJSFDA staff will be distributing masks to guests at the Convention Registration Desk.
• Sanitizing stations will be placed throughout the Hard Rock, and personal bottles of hand sanitizer will be distributed at the Convention Registration Desk.
• The aisles on the Exhibit Hall floor will be wider than usual and seating in meeting rooms will be socially distanced.
• Social events have been consolidated. The Funeral Directors Round-Up will be held on Wednesday, September 22 from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. All are welcome to attend and enjoy this casual gathering located at The Lobby Bar in the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Lounges and restaurants will be open for smaller gatherings as well.
• Attendees at all meetings, seminars and events, apart from the Round-Up, will be scanned for contact tracing. So we ask that attendees wear their Convention badges at all times.

Any changes in state or national protocols before the Convention will be communicated to attendees so that we all can enjoy a safe and comfortable experience.

Those wishing to attend the Convention can still register online here. Preregistration pricing is available until 5:00 p.m. on September 14. Onsite registration will be available on both days of the Convention.

If you preregister and are unable to attend the event, you have until 5:00 p.m. on September 30 to cancel your registration and receive a full refund.

During the past 18 months, the pandemic has created untold stress within the funeral industry. The NJSFDA is proud to be able to host its 2021 Convention in a safe manner for all guests so they can once again relax and enjoy the company of colleagues and associations. We look forward to seeing you at the Hard Rock.

Suicide rates among Americans continue to rise and are a major factor in a marked decrease in the life expectancy of U.S. residents, according to recently published data. 

A significant driver of the increase in suicide attempts was the COVID-19 pandemic and the societal disruptions it has caused, the report said.

During a one-month period in February and March 2021, emergency room visits for attempted suicides by girls between the ages of 12 and 17 increased by more than 50 percent, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics.

For boys the same age, the attempts only increased by 3.7 percent.

Advocates for suicide awareness are actively trying to reverse that trend and are seeking help from all groups and sectors, including funeral directors.

During National Suicide Prevention Month, held annually in September, suicide awareness organizations stress that there are many things that can be done to increase our sensibility toward those who may be suffering and possibly guide someone to sources of help.

Suicide awareness groups have often stressed the role that funeral directors can play in both preventing suicide and mitigating the fallout that follows someone taking their own life. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, for example, has created the #BeThe1To campaign, which helps to bring awareness about suicide prevention and mental health issues in an effort to save lives.

Funeral directors are urged to share the #BeThe1To action steps in order to raise awareness. In addition, an online messaging toolkit is available for funeral directors to use in their social media feeds.

A guide for helping survivors of suicide loss, written by Samaritans, Inc. and the Education Development Center and paid for through a grant from the National Funeral Directors Association's Funeral Service Foundation is also available. The guide provides practical advice for funeral directors while recognizing their role in the grieving process.

Advocates, however, stress that suicide prevention awareness is not a one-month initiative. While the September awareness month is an excellent start to the conversation about the suicide prevention and mental health issues, funeral directors are urged to provide help and resources throughout the year, both in personal interactions and on social media.

Those planning to attend the New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association 2021 Convention and Expo in Atlantic City have only until 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 14 to take advantage of preregistration discounts.

The NJSFDA is urging anyone wishing to be a part of this year’s event, held on September 22 and 23 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, to preregister now and save. If you preregister and are unable to attend the event, you have until 5:00 p.m. on September 30 to cancel your registration and receive a full refund.

The 2021 Convention features a number of excellent speakers on timely subjects such as funeral directors’ response and reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic, a review of ethical issues and the importance of restorative arts.

The annual General Session, Funeral Directors Round-Up and Service of Remembrance are also featured events.

The link to your preregistration savings can be found here. On-site registration will also be available on both days of Convention.

Preregistration pricing for a series of mandatory continuing education seminars, to be held on Tuesday, September 21, also ends at 5:00 p.m. on September 14. If you are unable to attend the event, you have until 5:00 p.m. on September 30 to cancel your registration and receive a full refund.

Those wishing to attend seminars on NJ Preneed, Ethics, NJ Law and OSHA can preregister here to take advantage of early pricing. Onsite registration also will be available.

Funeral directors have now coped with the challenges of two mass casualty events within the past 20 years–the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the COVID-19 pandemic. But the work performed and the emotional toll of the two disasters were very different. 

A significant part of the differences can be traced to the advances in technology during the past two decades, said George R. Kelder Jr., CFSP, the executive director and CEO of the New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association.

“We still heavily relied on pagers,” Kelder said about technology 20 years ago. “Our fastest method of communication was by fax or mail, so how we handled communicating relevant information to the membership was different than how we communicated pandemic-related resources over the past 24 months.”

On September 11, 2001, for example, newspapers published extras to inform readers of the initial reports concerning the terrorist attacks. Sophisticated publishing websites were not yet available. News was available through print, radio or television. Kelder, in his September column, said televisions were brought into rooms at the NJSFDA Convention, which had just begun, to watch the latest developments.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, although events moved more slowly, communication of news was much faster.

“With email and our ability to immediately post urgent and timely pandemic-related information to our association website for member access, funeral homes had a reliable archive to go to for accurate and up-to-date material,” said of the pandemic response.

Technology also played a role in memorialization of COVID-19 victims, where it wasn’t available following September 11, Kelder said. Streaming services became a go-to option when gatherings were not permitted because of pandemic restrictions.

“Technological advances have significantly expanded family options, and many families are not only willing, but want to be part of that process,” Kelder said.

But the biggest difference may be the sheer volume of deaths and the national scale of the pandemic, along with the drawn-out nature of the event.

“Although there were pressures placed on the funeral homes and staff serving September 11 victims, the pandemic has had a much more intense effect on everyone. It has not only affected our professional lives, but has upset our daily family functions, obligations and schedules,” Kelder said. “The sheer number of dead suddenly added to our workflow in and of itself and the uncertainty of becoming sick ourselves or bringing the virus into our households has added a much different and heavier psychological toll on the industry.”