Is there a role for the funeral service provider in bereavement support within the context of compassionate communities?

Abstract

This is the first study to explore bereaved individuals’ experiences of funeral service providers using these services’ databases. A total of 839 Australians participated in a postal survey, 6–24 months into their bereavement. Funeral providers were reported to be the third most prevalent form of bereavement support after friends and family. Analysis found six themes related to perceived helpful or unhelpful support: instrumental support, professionalism, informational support, financial tension, communication, and emotional support. Funeral providers could improve their support by adopting a proactive approach to bereavement needs and offering personalized and ongoing support. We develop these suggestions by exploring their potential contributions to building community capacity around death, dying and bereavement.

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the cooperation of funeral providers who assisted with the recruitment of respondents and the bereaved families who agreed to complete the survey and contributed to our understanding in this field. Special thanks to Denise Howting who assisted with the analysis.

Declaration of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Additional information

Funding

The authors acknowledge the financial support of the WA Cancer and Palliative Care Network, Health Department of Western Australia.