Funeral home visit
Funeral Visit Reflection Paper
On May 28, 2014, Fullerton college students had a privilege to visit Montecito Memorial Park and Mortuary. When we arrived the park, its beautiful scenery amazed us. The weather was a little chilly and windy. Since there was a scheduled funeral service on the day that we visited, we were escorted to the reception hall where we had a chance to meet the manager.
The manager thoroughly went over proper procedures needed to prepare embalming and funerals. Among all the things that we newly learned from this visit, most interesting thing was how the embalming process works. They utilize special chemicals to look the deceased as natural as possible. I thought embalming was a very meaningful work since it is the last time that a family will physically see the deceased and it helps a family create last memories about the deceased.
I agreed when the manager said their job is not to be emotionally involved with a family but to help them figure out the directions and plans about next steps after a loved on passes away. I cannot imagine how challenging it can be for staff members in Montecito Memorial Park and Mortuary to deal with families on a daily basis who have loss or about to have loss. I felt that being passionate and dedicated to compassionately embracing families in the community is one of the most important aspects to be part of the mortuary. It was a very meaningful visit and helped me think about how to deal with and death and dying from the lens of a family who had lost a loved one.
On May 28, 2014, Fullerton college students had a privilege to visit Montecito Memorial Park and Mortuary. When we arrived the park, its beautiful scenery amazed us. The weather was a little chilly and windy. Since there was a scheduled funeral service on the day that we visited, we were escorted to the reception hall where we had a chance to meet the manager.
The manager thoroughly went over proper procedures needed to prepare embalming and funerals. Among all the things that we newly learned from this visit, most interesting thing was how the embalming process works. They utilize special chemicals to look the deceased as natural as possible. I thought embalming was a very meaningful work since it is the last time that a family will physically see the deceased and it helps a family create last memories about the deceased.
I agreed when the manager said their job is not to be emotionally involved with a family but to help them figure out the directions and plans about next steps after a loved on passes away. I cannot imagine how challenging it can be for staff members in Montecito Memorial Park and Mortuary to deal with families on a daily basis who have loss or about to have loss. I felt that being passionate and dedicated to compassionately embracing families in the community is one of the most important aspects to be part of the mortuary. It was a very meaningful visit and helped me think about how to deal with and death and dying from the lens of a family who had lost a loved one.