Mortuaries are specialized facilities that care for the bodies of deceased individuals. They are not the same as funeral homes, which offer services like viewings and memorials.
The term morgue may seem euphemistic, but it’s simply the name for a room where dead people are stored until they’re ready for final disposition, such as burial or cremation.
Preparation of the Deceased for Farewell
A funeral director can help a family arrange a service and select a casket or urn. They may also arrange for a viewing or cremation, and provide grief counseling services to survivors. They may also perform eulogies at the service or write a memorial.
Embalming the body can prolong its appearance and make it more presentable for a viewing or open casket service. It can also be a requirement for some religious services.
Mortuary law is shaped by a complex set of state and federal regulations. These laws ensure that bodies are handled with care and that funeral arrangements respect a deceased individual’s wishes and the interests of their family members. They also promote ethical standards for mortuary professionals, requiring transparency in pricing and service options and prohibiting exploitative practices. These regulations also address consumer protection, often ensuring that families receive written contracts detailing their rights and responsibilities. This is important for preventing disputes.
Keeping Accurate Records
Mortuaries are responsible for ensuring that they have accurate records on hand to comply with legal requirements. They also need to be able to quickly access these records when needed by customers, families and staff. This requires an efficient management system that allows for the logging of detailed information on everything from burial plots to maintenance schedules.
This streamlined record-keeping can help ensure compliance with legal requirements, as well as uphold ethical standards and make for a more pleasant experience for visitors. In addition, technological advancements such as GPS and cemetery management software are making it easier than ever for cemeteries to keep track of their information.
While some people assume that mortuaries are more bare-bones operations than full-service funeral homes, this isn’t always the case. Myers Mortuary and Hart’s Mortuary are both examples of funeral home-owned mortuaries that offer a variety of services in addition to body storage, embalming and direct cremation. They can also provide funeral arrangements and support grieving families as they navigate their loss.
Meeting Legal Requirements
Mortuaries are necessary to ensure that bodies being buried are indeed dead. Before modern methods of confirming death became available, people frequently worried that they might be buried alive, leading to the development of waiting mortuaries that held bodies until it was safe to be buried.
In the event of a mass casualty, it’s not uncommon for ice rinks or other refrigerated spaces to act as temporary morgues. This is a necessity to keep the body cool until medical examiners can arrive to determine a cause of death or perform an autopsy.
Some people are confused about the difference between a mortuary and a funeral home. While both can provide services that will lead to a burial or cremation, mortuaries tend to be more bare-bones operations that focus on the mortuary sciences, providing some combination of storage, embalming and viewing space while also offering on-site cremation. A funeral home is more focused on the end-of-life ceremonies, allowing for public viewings and offering assistance with funeral planning and memorialization.
Engaging with the Community
Mortuary professionals are dedicated to helping people during one of the most difficult times in life. They are able to make a real impact on grieving families by planning funeral services and helping with other end-of-life arrangements. This unique career can be highly rewarding for those who choose to pursue it.
However, this is not a job for everyone. It involves long hours in a somber environment. Some people do not understand the nature of the work and may ask snarky questions or make obtrusive comments. It can be hard for mortuary and funeral service workers to manage this occupational stigma.
To avoid this, mortuary and funeral homes should work to engage with the community. This can be done by offering tours of the facility and by inviting hospice and end-of-life care professionals, as well as EMTs and police officers to visit. This will help to increase trust and build a sense of comradery within the staff.